How many grams of carbohydrate are delivered over 12 hours when D5 (5% dextrose) is infused at 75 mL per hour?

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Last updated: October 23, 2026 • View editorial policy

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Carbohydrate Delivery Calculation for D5 at 75 mL/hr

D5 (5% dextrose) running at 75 mL/hr for 12 hours delivers 45 grams of carbohydrate.

Calculation Breakdown

The calculation is straightforward:

  • D5 contains 5 grams of dextrose per 100 mL (or 0.05 g/mL) 1
  • At 75 mL/hr × 12 hours = 900 mL total volume infused
  • 900 mL × 0.05 g/mL = 45 grams of dextrose

Alternatively, you can calculate hourly:

  • 75 mL/hr × 0.05 g/mL = 3.75 grams per hour
  • 3.75 g/hr × 12 hours = 45 grams total

Clinical Context

Energy delivery: Each gram of dextrose provides 3.4 kcal 1, so this infusion delivers approximately 153 kcal over 12 hours (12.75 kcal/hr).

Infusion rate considerations: This rate (75 mL/hr of D5 = 3.75 g/hr or approximately 0.05 g/kg/hr in a 70 kg patient) is well below the maximum rate at which dextrose can be infused without producing glycosuria (0.5 g/kg/hr) 1. At this conservative rate, approximately 95% of the dextrose will be retained 1.

Osmolarity: D5 solutions have an osmolarity of approximately 252-308 mOsm/L depending on added electrolytes 2, though the dextrose component is rapidly metabolized after infusion.

References

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