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Weill Cornell Medicine — Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Glucose Infusion Rate

All calculations should be independently verified prior to clinical use. These calculators are intended to supplement, not replace, clinical judgment.

Calculate the total glucose infusion rate (GIR) from up to three concurrent dextrose infusions. Leave unused streams blank.

D5 mL/hr
D10 mL/hr
D %  at mL/hr
mg/kg/min
mg/kg/min
mg/kg/min
mg/kg/min

GIR is a unit conversion expressing the rate of glucose delivery in mg per kg per minute:

GIR  =  IV Rate (mL/hr) × Dextrose conc. (g/dL) × 1000 Weight (kg) × 60 (min/hr) × 100 (mL/dL)

Simplifying the constants: 1000 ÷ (60 × 100) ≈ 0.1667, so each stream contributes:

GIRstream  =  Rate (mL/hr) × Conc (g/dL) × 0.1667 Weight (kg)

The dextrose concentration is expressed as a whole number: 5 for D5W, 10 for D10W, and so on. Total GIR is the sum of all active streams. The per-stream breakdown is shown to assist with weaning individual infusions.

A GIR of 5–8 mg/kg/min is typical. Infants who are not feeding should not be maintained below 5 mg/kg/min for any significant period. The GIR needed to optimize nutrition in neonates is approximately 14 mg/kg/min.

References

  1. Hay WW Jr. Strategies for feeding the preterm infant. Neonatology. 2008;94(4):245–254.
  2. Thureen PJ, Melara D, Fennessey PV, Hay WW Jr. Effect of low versus high intravenous amino acid intake on very low birth weight infants in the early neonatal period. Pediatr Res. 2003;53(1):24–32.