1. What is Body Surface Area (BSA)?

Body Surface Area (BSA) is the measured or calculated surface area of the human body. It is used in many medical tasks including calculating drug dosages and the amounts of fluids to be administered intravenously.

2. How Does the Mosteller Formula Work?

The calculator uses the Mosteller formula:

Where:

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

Explanation: The Mosteller formula is one of the most commonly used BSA formulas due to its simplicity and reasonable accuracy for most clinical purposes.

3. Importance of BSA Calculation

Details: BSA is used to calculate drug dosages for chemotherapy, cardiac index, and other medical calculations where body size is an important factor.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. All values must be valid (weight > 0, height > 0).

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 formulas, making it suitable for most clinical applications.

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 significantly with body size.

Q3: When is BSA used in medicine?
A: BSA is commonly used for chemotherapy dosing, calculating cardiac index, and determining appropriate ventilator settings.

Q4: Are there limitations to this formula?
A: Like all BSA formulas, Mosteller may be less accurate in extremes of body size (very obese or very thin individuals).

Q5: Can I use pounds and inches?
A: This calculator uses metric units. For imperial units, convert weight to kg (1 kg = 2.2 lb) and height to cm (1 inch = 2.54 cm).