1. What is a Dose Calculator?

Definition: This calculator estimates the medication dose based on the dose per square meter (D_m2) and the patient's body surface area (BSA).

Purpose: It helps medical professionals determine the appropriate medication dosage for patients, particularly for chemotherapy and other drugs dosed by BSA.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( \text{Dose} \) — Total medication dose (mg)
• \( D_{m2} \) — Dose per square meter (mg/m²)
• \( \text{BSA} \) — Body surface area (m²)

Explanation: The dose per square meter is multiplied by the patient's body surface area to calculate the total dose.

3. Importance of Dose Calculation

Details: Accurate dose calculation based on BSA helps ensure therapeutic efficacy while minimizing toxicity, especially for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the dose per square meter (D_m2) in mg/m² and the patient's body surface area in m². Both values must be > 0.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is D_m2?
A: D_m2 represents the dose of medication per square meter of body surface area, typically determined from clinical studies.

Q2: How is BSA calculated?
A: BSA is commonly calculated using formulas like the Mosteller formula: √(height in cm × weight in kg / 3600).

Q3: Why use BSA instead of body weight?
A: BSA often correlates better with metabolic rate and drug clearance than body weight alone, especially for chemotherapy drugs.

Q4: Are there exceptions to BSA dosing?
A: Yes, some drugs are dosed by weight, renal function, or flat dosing regardless of patient size.

Q5: How precise should the dose be?
A: Precision depends on the drug - chemotherapy often requires very precise dosing while other medications may allow more rounding.