In physiology and medicine the body surface area bsa is the measured or calculated surface area of a human bodyfor many clinical purposes bsa is a better indicator of metabolic mass than body weight because it is less affected by abnormal adipose mass. 3 moreover physiological parameters such as cardiac output.

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Measurement of total body surface area. Total body surface area. The chest and stomach. In the body the epidermis makes up the outermost layer and the surface area is essentially a measurement of how much exposed skin the body has. In adults the rule of nines is used to to approximate the percentage of burned surface area. Total body surface area tbsa is an assessment measure of burns of the skin burned surface area is calculated as a percentage of total body surface area to determine burn size. See a picture of the rule of nines for babies and young children.
1red cross war memorial childrens hospital and university of cape town south africa. Body surface area calculator. A number of different formulas have been developed over the years to calculate the body surface area and they give slightly different results. The groin area equals 1 of the bodys surface area. To address it scientists in the early 1900s took measurements via melted paraffin and paper strips applied to their body. The front and back of each arm and hand are 10 of the bodys surface area.
The area of the surface or surface area is the number of square units measured in inches feet yards miles etc needed to completely cover the surface of the object. The calculator below computes the total surface area of a human body referred to as body surface area bsa. Tbsa plays a key role in the estimation of fluid replacement needs of critically ill and burn patients 1 the dose titration of chemotherapeutic agents 2 as well as the calculation of nutritional needs. Since the body is a complex figure making an accurate measurement of its surface is a considerable challenge. Measurements calculations and comparisons in ethnically diverse children in south africa. Total body and hand surface area.
Direct measurement of bsa is difficult and as such many formulas have been published that estimate bsa. Body surface area bsa is simply a measurement of the surface area of your body. Estimation of total body surface area tbsa and premarked surface area p msa remains a problem in biomedical research. Cox s1 kriho k2 de klerk s3 van dijk m4 rode h5. The total surface area of the human body. The front and back of the head and neck are 21 of the bodys surface area.
Nevertheless there have been several important critiques of the use of bsa in determining the dosage of medications with a narrow. The calculator below provides results for some of the most popular formulas. Estimating burn size in babies and young children. According to the national institutes of health burns that are greater than 20 to 25 percent of total body surface area require significant intravenous iv fluids. The body surface area is used in many measurements in medicine including the calculation of drug dosages and the amount of fluids to be administered iv.