1. What is Body Surface Area (BSA)?

Definition: BSA is the calculated surface area of the human body, often used in medical practice for medication dosing and physiological measurements.

Purpose: It provides a more accurate measure of metabolic mass than body weight alone, especially for drug dosing in chemotherapy and other medications.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Mosteller formula:

Where:

• \( \text{BSA} \) — Body Surface Area (square meters)
• \( W \) — Weight (kilograms)
• \( H \) — Height (centimeters)

Explanation: The formula calculates the square root of the product of weight and height divided by 3600.

3. Importance of BSA Calculation

Details: BSA is crucial for accurate medication dosing, particularly for drugs with narrow therapeutic indices, and for assessing physiological parameters.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the patient's weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. All values must be > 0.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why use BSA instead of body weight for dosing?
A: BSA correlates better with metabolic processes and drug clearance than body weight alone.

Q2: What are typical BSA values?
A: Average BSA is about 1.7 m² for adult men and 1.6 m² for adult women.

Q3: Are there other BSA formulas?
A: Yes, including DuBois & DuBois, Haycock, and Boyd formulas, but Mosteller is most commonly used.

Q4: When is BSA particularly important?
A: Critical for chemotherapy dosing, pediatric dosing, and burn assessment.

Q5: How accurate is the Mosteller formula?
A: It's accurate for most clinical purposes and simpler to calculate than other formulas.