Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care
Abstract Objective Many emergency drug and fluid doses are weight dependent in adults, but in resuscitation and low‐resource settings it can be impractical or impossible to weigh a patient. It is especially important to obtain accurate weight estimation for dose calculations for emergency drugs with...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2021-08-01
|
| Series: | Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12515 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850228973513998336 |
|---|---|
| author | Giles N. Cattermole Mike Wells |
| author_facet | Giles N. Cattermole Mike Wells |
| author_sort | Giles N. Cattermole |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective Many emergency drug and fluid doses are weight dependent in adults, but in resuscitation and low‐resource settings it can be impractical or impossible to weigh a patient. It is especially important to obtain accurate weight estimation for dose calculations for emergency drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges. Several weight estimation methods have been proposed for use in adults, but none is widely established. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of adult weight estimation methods. Methods Demographic and body measurement data were obtained from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and 7 previously published weight estimation methods were used to estimate the weight for each individual. The primary outcomes were the proportions of estimates within 10% and 20% of actual weight (P10, P20). An acceptable accuracy was predetermined to be P10 = 70% and P20 = 95%. Results The data set included 5158 adults (51.2% women) with sufficient data to calculate all weight estimation methods. The Lorenz method performed best (P10 = 86.8%, P20 = 99.4%) and met the standard of acceptability across sex and body mass index subgroups. The Mercy and PAWPER XL‐MAC methods performed acceptably in non‐obese adults. Conclusion The ideal weight estimation method should be accurate, rapid, simple, and feasible. This study has demonstrated the accuracy of 7 methods. The Lorenz method performed best but is complex and likely to be difficult to apply in resuscitation settings. Other simpler and quicker methods are at least as accurate as the best methods widely used in children, and there is potential for further calibrating these for use in adults before validation in real‐world studies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1c84d2eb78445d0b39a2826076c496b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2688-1152 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1c84d2eb78445d0b39a2826076c496b2025-08-20T02:04:21ZengElsevierJournal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open2688-11522021-08-0124n/an/a10.1002/emp2.12515Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical careGiles N. Cattermole0Mike Wells1Department of Emergency Medicine King's College Hospital National Health Service Trust London UKDepartment of Emergency Medicine University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South AfricaAbstract Objective Many emergency drug and fluid doses are weight dependent in adults, but in resuscitation and low‐resource settings it can be impractical or impossible to weigh a patient. It is especially important to obtain accurate weight estimation for dose calculations for emergency drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges. Several weight estimation methods have been proposed for use in adults, but none is widely established. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of adult weight estimation methods. Methods Demographic and body measurement data were obtained from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and 7 previously published weight estimation methods were used to estimate the weight for each individual. The primary outcomes were the proportions of estimates within 10% and 20% of actual weight (P10, P20). An acceptable accuracy was predetermined to be P10 = 70% and P20 = 95%. Results The data set included 5158 adults (51.2% women) with sufficient data to calculate all weight estimation methods. The Lorenz method performed best (P10 = 86.8%, P20 = 99.4%) and met the standard of acceptability across sex and body mass index subgroups. The Mercy and PAWPER XL‐MAC methods performed acceptably in non‐obese adults. Conclusion The ideal weight estimation method should be accurate, rapid, simple, and feasible. This study has demonstrated the accuracy of 7 methods. The Lorenz method performed best but is complex and likely to be difficult to apply in resuscitation settings. Other simpler and quicker methods are at least as accurate as the best methods widely used in children, and there is potential for further calibrating these for use in adults before validation in real‐world studies.https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12515adultbody weightbody weights and measuresdrug prescriptionsemergency medicineglobal health |
| spellingShingle | Giles N. Cattermole Mike Wells Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open adult body weight body weights and measures drug prescriptions emergency medicine global health |
| title | Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care |
| title_full | Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care |
| title_fullStr | Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care |
| title_short | Comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care |
| title_sort | comparison of adult weight estimation methods for use during emergency medical care |
| topic | adult body weight body weights and measures drug prescriptions emergency medicine global health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12515 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gilesncattermole comparisonofadultweightestimationmethodsforuseduringemergencymedicalcare AT mikewells comparisonofadultweightestimationmethodsforuseduringemergencymedicalcare |