1. What is Body Surface Area (BSA)?

Definition: BSA is the calculated surface area of a human body, often used in medical settings to determine medication dosages and medical indicators.

Purpose: It provides a more accurate measurement than body weight alone for many medical calculations, particularly for chemotherapy, fluid requirements, and cardiac index.

2. How Does the BSA 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 to estimate body surface area.

3. Importance of BSA Calculation

Details: BSA is crucial for accurate medication dosing, particularly for drugs with narrow therapeutic indices. It's also used in burn assessment and other clinical measurements.

4. Using the Calculator

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

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why use BSA instead of body weight?
A: BSA correlates better with many physiological processes like metabolic rate and drug clearance than body weight alone.

Q2: What's the average BSA for adults?
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, other formulas include DuBois & DuBois, Haycock, and Boyd, but Mosteller is most commonly used due to its simplicity.

Q4: How accurate is the Mosteller formula?
A: It's accurate for most clinical purposes, though some specialized cases may require more precise measurements.

Q5: Can I use pounds and inches?
A: The calculator requires kg and cm. Convert pounds to kg (1 lb = 0.4536 kg) and inches to cm (1 in = 2.54 cm) first.