As the name indicates, the body surface area (BSA) is the total area that covers
the entire surface of the human body. This value if of great importance in medicine
because the dose and dosage of drugs and the amount of fluids to be administered
intravenously are usually calculated taking the BSA into consideration. Certain
indices such as the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and cardiac index are calculated
in relation to the BSA.
Although there are many formulas to calculate the BSA, the ones based on the height
and weight are commonly used as these are less complex and the results are more
or less consistent.
Read More »