What is the carbohydrate content of 5% dextrose (D5) administered at a rate of 65 mL/hour?

Carbohydrate Content of D5 at 65 mL/hour

D5 (5% dextrose) infused at 65 mL/hour delivers 3.25 grams of carbohydrates per hour, or 78 grams per 24 hours.

Calculation Breakdown

• D5 contains 5 grams of dextrose per 100 mL of solution 1, 2
• At an infusion rate of 65 mL/hour:
  • Hourly carbohydrate delivery: 65 mL × 0.05 g/mL = 3.25 grams/hour 1
  • Daily carbohydrate delivery: 3.25 g/hour × 24 hours = 78 grams/day 1

Clinical Context and Adequacy

• This carbohydrate delivery rate is substantially below recommended nutritional requirements for most clinical scenarios 1
• Critically ill patients should receive 200-300 grams of dextrose per day as part of their nutritional regimen, making this infusion rate only about 26-39% of recommended intake 1
• The recommended carbohydrate intake is 3.0-3.5 g/kg body weight/day of glucose (approximately 210-245 grams for a 70 kg patient), meaning D5 at 65 mL/hr provides only about 32% of recommended carbohydrate intake 1, 3

Energy Provision

• Each gram of dextrose provides approximately 4 kcal of energy 1
• Total daily energy from this infusion: 78 grams × 4 kcal/gram = 312 kcal/day 1
• This represents partial nutritional support only and is insufficient as sole nutrition 1

Common Clinical Applications

• D5 at this rate is typically used for temporary glucose provision while awaiting enteral nutrition initiation or as maintenance fluid with minimal caloric supplementation 1
• For patients requiring insulin coverage, approximately 1 unit of insulin for every 10-15 grams of carbohydrate should be administered, meaning this infusion would require roughly 5-8 units of insulin per 24 hours for nutritional coverage 1