Is the APLS formula used to calculate weight-for-age applicable to a Trinidadian population?

ABSTRACT:

Background

In paediatric emergency medicine, estimation of weight in ill children can be performed in a variety of ways. Calculation using the 'APLS' formula (weight = [age + 4] × 2) is one very common method. Studies on its validity in developed countries suggest that it tends to under-estimate the weight of children, potentially leading to errors in drug and fluid administration. The formula is not validated in Trinidad and Tobago, where it is routinely used to calculate weight in paediatric resuscitation.

Methods

Over a six-week period in January 2009, all children one to five years old presenting to the Emergency Department were weighed. Their measured weights were compared to their estimated weights as calculated using the APLS formula, the Luscombe and Owens formula an

SUBMITTER: Ali K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3506443 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature