WM Kun, KM Cheng, MC Yuen, WK Tung

Abstract

In general, the calculation of drug dosage for children is based on their body weights. However, in emergency situations, the body weights of sick children cannot be accurately determined and need to be estimated, which pose a great problem to emergency physicians. In this regard, Broselow tape is widely accepted and used in emergency departments in Hong Kong for body weight estimation in children. We have estimated the body weights of 909 children using the Broselow tape and then measured their actual body weights. Tape-estimated body weights derived from the Broselow tape are found to be within ?0% error in 69.5% of children and ±15% in 84.5% of children. There is no significant difference in the accuracy rate between boys and girls. The tape-estimated body weights are more accurate in children with body weights in the range of 10 to 25 kg (±10% error in 76.2% of children), than in the range of less than 10 kg (±10% error in 56.6% of children) or more than 25 kg (±10% error in 52.3% of children). We concluded that the Broselow tape provides satisfactory estimated body weights in Hong Kong Chinese children attending our emergency department, especially for those children with body weights between 10 and 25 kg.