1. What is Body Surface Area (BSA)?

Body Surface Area (BSA) is the measured or calculated surface area of the human body. It's an important measurement in medicine, particularly for calculating drug dosages and medical indicators.

2. Mosteller Formula Explained

The Mosteller formula is a simple and widely used method for calculating BSA:

Where:

• \( W \) — Weight in kilograms (kg)
• \( H \) — Height in centimeters (cm)

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

3. Clinical Importance of BSA

Details: BSA is used to calculate medical parameters like cardiac index, chemotherapy dosages, and glomerular filtration rate. It's more accurate than body weight alone for many medical purposes.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. Both values must be greater than zero for accurate calculation.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why use Mosteller formula instead of others?
A: The Mosteller formula is simple to calculate and has been validated against more complex methods, making it clinically practical.

Q2: What are normal BSA values?
A: Average BSA is about 1.7 m² for adult men and 1.6 m² for adult women, but varies with body size.

Q3: When is BSA particularly important?
A: BSA is crucial for chemotherapy dosing, pediatric drug calculations, and burn assessment.

Q4: Are there limitations to BSA calculations?
A: BSA doesn't account for body composition differences (muscle vs fat) and may be less accurate for very obese or very muscular individuals.

Q5: Can I use pounds and inches?
A: This calculator uses metric units. Convert pounds to kg (1 lb = 0.453592 kg) and inches to cm (1 in = 2.54 cm) first.