Body Surface Area Teaching in Pediatrics

Abstract

To the Editor:— Much literature has appeared in recent years on the subject of body surface area (BSA). 1-8 In spite of the fact that various textbooks and brochures present drug dosage in terms of BSA, there has been, to our knowledge, no considered attempt to learn how widely the subject is being taught in medical schools. In the opinion of the authors, use of BSA as a gauge for dosage, both of pharmaceutical products and of water and electrolytes, offers the advantages of simplicity and accuracy, and, therefore, efficacy and safety. Use of BSA does not, of course, involve a principle basically different from that employed in the use of body weight. Rather, it represents a rational convenience that makes it far easier for the physician to remember doses, is particularly useful in the case of frequently used drugs, and through its very simplicity helps avoid error. We conducted