Mg/kg to Mg/m2 Calculator Conversion

Conversion Formula:

\[ \text{mg/m²} = (\text{mg/kg}) \times \left( \frac{\text{Weight\_kg}}{\text{BSA\_m²}} \right) \]

Dose in mg/m²:

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1. What is mg/kg to mg/m² Conversion?

The mg/kg to mg/m² conversion is used to adjust medication doses based on body surface area (BSA) rather than body weight. This is particularly important in chemotherapy and pediatric dosing where BSA often correlates better with drug metabolism than weight alone.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the following equation:

\[ \text{mg/m²} = (\text{mg/kg}) \times \left( \frac{\text{Weight\_kg}}{\text{BSA\_m²}} \right) \]

Where:

\( \text{mg/kg} \) — Dose in milligrams per kilogram of body weight
\( \text{Weight\_kg} \) — Patient's weight in kilograms
\( \text{BSA\_m²} \) — Patient's body surface area in square meters

Explanation: The equation converts a weight-based dose to a body surface area-based dose, which is often more accurate for many medications.

3. Importance of Dose Conversion

Details: Body surface area dosing is particularly important for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows, such as chemotherapy agents, where precise dosing is critical for both efficacy and safety.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the dose in mg/kg, patient's weight in kilograms, and body surface area in square meters. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why use mg/m² instead of mg/kg?
A: BSA correlates better with metabolic rate and organ size than weight alone, especially for drugs that distribute throughout body water or metabolize in the liver.

Q2: How is BSA calculated?
A: BSA is typically calculated using formulas like DuBois or Mosteller based on height and weight. Separate BSA calculators are available for this purpose.

Q3: Which drugs use mg/m² dosing?
A: Many chemotherapy agents, some antibiotics, and certain other medications use BSA-based dosing, especially in oncology and pediatrics.

Q4: Are there limitations to this conversion?
A: This is a straightforward mathematical conversion. The appropriateness of BSA dosing depends on the specific drug and patient characteristics.

Q5: Should this be used for all medications?
A: No, only use this conversion when the medication is specifically prescribed in mg/m² or when following protocols that require BSA-based dosing.