1. What is the Mosteller BSA Formula?

The Mosteller formula is a simple and widely used method to calculate body surface area (BSA) from height and weight. It's commonly used in chemotherapy dosing to personalize medication amounts based on body size.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Mosteller formula:

Where:

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

Explanation: The formula calculates the square root of the product of weight and height divided by 3600, providing BSA in square meters (m²).

3. Importance of BSA in Chemotherapy

Details: BSA-based dosing helps standardize chemotherapy administration, as many anticancer drugs have narrow therapeutic windows and their effects correlate better with BSA than body weight alone.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter weight in kg and height in cm. For accurate results, use actual measurements rather than estimates. The formula is valid for adults and children.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why use Mosteller instead of other BSA formulas?
A: Mosteller is simple, validated, and widely accepted in clinical practice, though some institutions may use DuBois or Haycock formulas.

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

Q3: When is BSA not used for chemotherapy dosing?
A: Some drugs use flat dosing or weight-based dosing, especially for obese patients where BSA may overestimate requirements.

Q4: How accurate is the Mosteller formula?
A: It's generally accurate within 1-5% of measured BSA for most patients, though extreme body types may have greater variance.

Q5: Should BSA be adjusted for obese patients?
A: Some protocols use adjusted body weight or cap the BSA at 2.0-2.2 m² for obese patients to avoid overdosing.