Question

An antineoplastic medication is prescribed for a child. The nurse is verifying the dose is the recommended dose for a child with a certain body surface area (BSA). The child's BSA is 0.43 m2. The average adult BSA is 1.7 m2, and the usual adult dose of this medication is 40 mg. What is the recommended child's dose? (Round to the nearest whole number.)

Answer 1

The recommended antineoplastic medication dose for a child with a BSA of 0.43 m², when calculated from the usual adult dose of 40 mg for a BSA of 1.7 m², is 10 mg.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the recommended child's dose of an antineoplastic medication based on the child's body surface area (BSA), we can use a proportion since dosages are often tailored to BSA. Given that the child's BSA is 0.43 m² and the average adult BSA is 1.7 m², with the usual adult dose being 40 mg, we can set up the following equation:

Child's Dose / Child's BSA = Adult Dose / Adult BSA

Child's Dose / 0.43 m² = 40 mg / 1.7 m²

Now, we cross-multiply and solve for Child's Dose:

Child's Dose = (40 mg * 0.43 m²) / 1.7 m²

Child's Dose = 10.12 mg

When rounded to the nearest whole number, the recommended dose for the child is 10 mg.