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Mosteller Formula:
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Body Surface Area (BSA) is the calculated surface area of the human body. It's a better indicator of metabolic mass than body weight alone, and is commonly used to calculate medical dosages, particularly for chemotherapy drugs.
The calculator uses the Mosteller formula:
Where:
Explanation: The Mosteller formula is simple to calculate and has been validated as accurate. It's one of the most commonly used BSA formulas in clinical practice.
Details: Many chemotherapy drugs are dosed based on BSA because it correlates better with drug metabolism and toxicity than body weight alone. Accurate BSA calculation helps ensure patients receive the optimal drug dose - enough to be effective but not so much as to cause excessive toxicity.
Tips: Enter weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. All values must be valid (weight > 0, height > 0). For pediatric patients, use actual weight rather than ideal body weight.
Q1: Why use Mosteller instead of other BSA formulas?
A: The Mosteller formula is widely accepted, simple to calculate, and has been validated in multiple studies. It's recommended by many oncology guidelines.
Q2: What are typical BSA values?
A: Average BSA is about 1.7 m² for adult men and 1.6 m² for adult women. Values range from about 0.25 m² for newborns to over 2.5 m² for very large individuals.
Q3: When should BSA be recalculated?
A: BSA should be recalculated if the patient has significant weight change (>10% of body weight) or at the start of each new chemotherapy cycle.
Q4: Are there limitations to BSA dosing?
A: Yes, some drugs may require adjustment for obesity, extreme leanness, or other factors. Always follow protocol-specific guidelines.
Q5: Should BSA be rounded?
A: Typically BSA is rounded to two decimal places for chemotherapy dosing, but follow institutional or protocol-specific guidelines.