Can the Broselow Tape Be Used to Estimate Weight and Endotracheal Tube Size in Korean Children?

Abstract

The Broselow pediatric emergency tape (BT) was developed to provide a length-based estimate of body weight and equipment size during resuscitation. To conduct a validation study on the use of the BT in Korean children. Anesthesia records from children were retrospectively reviewed. The measured weights of the subjects were compared with the BT weight estimates by using Bland-Altman analysis. The accuracy of the BT and age-based formula in predicting the endotracheal tube (ETT) size were also compared. The authors drew a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve to evaluate the cutoff height that would be acceptable for the application of BT without error in Korean children. A total of 665 children (mean [+/- SD] age, 5.1 [+/- 3.3] years, 61.8% male) were enrolled. The average measured weight of the Korean children was 1.54 kg heavier than the BT estimates (95% CI = 1.24 to 1.85 kg). The BT estimates showed better agreement with the actually used ETT sizes than did the age-based formula estimates (86.9% vs. 34.9%, p < 0.001). The cutoff height of the ROC curve was 127.15 cm. When the BT was used in children who were shorter than the cutoff height, 98.8% of the enrolled children's estimated weights were within the limits of agreement. The BT can be used in Korean children as a helpful adjunct during resuscitation to estimate the weight and ETT size.