Question

The normal adult dosage of a drug is 10 to 30 mg. What will the dosage range be for a child whose BSA is 2.3 m²? (Round to tenths)

Answer 1

To find the child's dosage range for a drug, multiply the adult dosage by the child's BSA and then divide by the average adult BSA. For a child with a BSA of 2.3 m², the calculated dosage range is approximately 13.5 mg to 40.6 mg.

Step-by-step explanation:

When calculating drug dosages for children, the Body Surface Area (BSA) is a common method used in medicine. Since the normal adult dosage of the drug is 10 to 30 mg, the formula to find the equivalent child's dosage is to multiply the adult dose by the ratio of the child's BSA to the average adult BSA. The average adult BSA is typically considered to be 1.7 m².

To calculate the child's dosage range:

1. Start with the lower end of the adult dosage, which is 10 mg.
2. Multiply this by the child's BSA (2.3 m²).
3. Divide the result by the average adult BSA (1.7 m²).

Do the same for the upper end of the dosage, which is 30 mg. Accordingly,

Lower end: (10 mg × 2.3 m²) ÷ 1.7 m² = approximately 13.5 mg (rounded to tenths)

Upper end: (30 mg × 2.3 m²) ÷ 1.7 m² = approximately 40.6 mg (rounded to tenths)

Therefore, the dosage range for the child with a BSA of 2.3 m² would be approximately 13.5 mg to 40.6 mg.