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Total body surface area
Total body surface area
from Wikipedia

Total body surface area (TBSA) is an assessment of injury to or disease of the skin, such as burns or psoriasis.

In adults, the Wallace rule of nines can be used to determine the total percentage of area burned for each major section of the body.[1]

In burn cases that involve partial body areas, or when dermatologists are evaluating the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, the patient's palm can serve a reference point roughly equivalent to 1% of the body surface area.

For children and infants, the Lund and Browder chart is used to assess the burned body surface area. Different percentages are used because the ratio of the combined surface area of the head and neck to the surface area of the limbs is typically larger in children than that of an adult.[2]

Typical values for common groups of humans follow.[3] (Due to rounding, values may not add to 100%.)

Adult
Anatomic structure Surface area
Anterior head 4.5%
Posterior head 4.5%
Anterior torso 18%
Posterior torso 18%
Anterior leg, each 9%
Posterior leg, each 9%
Anterior arm, each 4.5%
Posterior arm, each 4.5%
Genitalia/perineum 1%
Child
Anatomic structure Surface area
Anterior head 9%
Posterior head 9%
Anterior torso 18%
Posterior torso 18%
Anterior leg, each 6.75%
Posterior leg, each 6.75%
Anterior arm, each 4.5%
Posterior arm, each 4.5%
Genitalia/perineum 1%
Adult, obese >80 kg
Anatomic structure Surface area
Head and neck 2%
Anterior torso 25%
Posterior torso 25%
Leg, each 20%
Arm, each 5%
Genitalia/perineum 0%
Infant <10 kg
Anatomic structure Surface area
Head and neck 20%
Anterior torso 16%
Posterior torso 16%
Leg, each 16%
Arm, each 8%
Genitalia/perineum 1%

See also

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References

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from Grokipedia
Total body surface area (TBSA) is the estimated percentage of an individual's total surface affected by injury, such as partial- or full-thickness burns, or by dermatological conditions like . This metric is fundamental in clinical practice for evaluating the extent and severity of skin involvement, guiding therapeutic decisions including fluid resuscitation, nutritional support, and surgical interventions. Accurate TBSA assessment directly impacts patient outcomes, as it informs and resource allocation in burn care. Several standardized methods exist for estimating TBSA, each suited to different clinical scenarios and patient demographics. The Rule of Nines, introduced by Pulaski and Tennison in 1949 and refined by Wallace in 1951, divides the adult body into sections representing multiples of 9% of the total surface area: the head and each upper extremity account for 9%, the anterior and posterior trunk for 18% each, each lower extremity for 18%, and the genitalia for 1%. This method facilitates rapid but is less precise for children or obese individuals due to proportional variations. The , developed in 1944, offers greater accuracy by segmenting the body into finer regions and adjusting percentages based on age, making it particularly valuable for pediatric patients where the head constitutes a larger proportion of TBSA in younger children. It remains the gold standard in burn centers for detailed assessments, though it requires more time than simpler tools. For quick estimations, especially of scattered or minor burns, the palmar method equates the surface area of a patient's palm (including fingers) to approximately 0.8–1% of their TBSA, allowing clinicians to sum affected areas by counting palm equivalents. This approach is advantageous in emergency settings but may introduce subjectivity for larger injuries. In clinical management, TBSA calculations underpin critical protocols, such as the for fluid resuscitation, which recommends 4 mL of crystalloid solution per of body weight per percentage of TBSA burned over the first 24 hours (with half administered in the initial 8 hours post-injury). Overestimation or underestimation of TBSA can lead to complications like fluid overload or , emphasizing the need for validated tools and trained assessment.

Definition and Importance

Definition

Body surface area (BSA), also known as total body surface area (TBSA), represents the estimated total external surface area of the . This measurement accounts for the skin's coverage over the entire body, excluding internal surfaces or orifices, and provides a quantifiable proxy for the body's interface with the external environment. BSA is expressed in square meters (), with average values ranging from approximately 1.6 for adult women to 1.9 for adult men, depending on individual anthropometric variations. It is derived from basic anthropometric data, such as and , which allow for indirect rather than direct measurement, as physically tracing the body's contours would be impractical. The primary purpose of BSA is to serve as a standardized metric for scaling physiological processes across individuals of varying sizes, facilitating comparisons in areas like metabolic rate, heat dissipation, , and the assessment of extent. For instance, it normalizes calculations for to derive the or adjusts dosages to body size, ensuring more precise medical interventions. This foundational role underscores BSA's utility in clinical practice, where accurate scaling is essential for and treatment efficacy.

Clinical Significance

Body surface area (BSA) plays a pivotal role in various medical assessments, including normalizing physiological parameters and scaling treatments. In burn care, the percentage of total body surface area affected (%TBSA) quantifies burn severity, influencing prognosis, treatment planning, and resource allocation. Physiologically, BSA serves as a superior proxy for metabolic mass compared to body weight alone, as it correlates more closely with basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total body water, being less distorted by adipose tissue variations that disproportionately affect weight-based metrics. This relationship stems from early observations that heat production and dissipation are proportional to surface area, enabling BSA to better reflect underlying physiological processes like organ blood flow and extracellular fluid volume. Consequently, BSA provides a standardized framework for inter-individual comparisons, reducing variability in assessments of metabolic demands and circulatory efficiency across diverse body sizes. In clinical practice, BSA is routinely used to normalize metabolic rates and for equitable evaluations; for instance, dividing by BSA yields the (typically 2.5-4.0 L/min/m²), which assesses heart function independently of body size and aids in diagnosing conditions like . This normalization is particularly valuable in and , where weight alone skews interpretations, allowing clinicians to compare physiological performance accurately. Similarly, in , BSA underpins chemotherapy dosing by scaling drug amounts to body size (e.g., mg/m²), which enhances efficacy and safety for cytotoxic agents by achieving more uniform plasma concentrations and mitigating toxicity risks associated with under- or overdosing.

History

Early Developments

The concept of total body surface area (TBSA) emerged in the late as physiologists sought to understand how body size influences physiological processes, particularly those related to heat dissipation and metabolic scaling. Karl M. Meeh, a German physiologist, introduced the first quantitative approach to estimating TBSA in through his seminal work on surface measurements of the . Meeh's motivation stemmed from observations in animal physiology, where was recognized as a key factor in heat loss and energy expenditure, prompting him to extend these principles to humans for more accurate modeling of basal and . Meeh derived his using direct empirical measurements on a limited sample of 6 adults and 10 children, approximating the body as geometric shapes to calculate surface areas. He proposed a weight-based , TBSA = 0.1053 \times weight^{2/3}, where TBSA is in square meters and weight is in kilograms; this allometric scaling with an exponent of approximately 2/3 reflected the geometric similarity that surface area grows disproportionately to as body size increases. These foundational (BSA) estimations later informed TBSA percentage methods in assessment. Early methods for TBSA assessment relied on labor-intensive direct techniques, such as creating plaster casts of body segments to unfold and measure their surface areas planimetrically, or using geometric approximations like cylinders and spheres to model limbs and . These techniques, while imprecise due to challenges in capturing body contours and individual variations, provided the foundational data for Meeh's and highlighted the need for non-invasive alternatives. Over time, these weight-only models evolved into more refined height-weight based s to better account for body proportions.

Key Contributors and Formulas

In the early 20th century, the estimation of total body surface area (TBSA) progressed beyond rudimentary weight-based approximations through the collaborative efforts of Delafield Du Bois, a , and her cousin Eugene F. Du Bois, a physician specializing in . In 1916, they introduced a seminal that integrated both and for improved accuracy, derived from measurements of nine subjects using plaster molds and to map body contours. This , BSA = 0.007184 \times W^{0.425} \times H^{0.725} (where W is in kilograms and H is in centimeters), provided a more reliable predictor for adults and became a cornerstone for clinical applications in and . Building on this foundation, Eugene F. Du Bois extended the practical use of TBSA calculations in the 1920s through his research on basal metabolic rates, where precise surface area estimates were essential for normalizing energy expenditure data across diverse patient populations. His studies, including those published in the , refined the methodological application of the 1916 formula by incorporating empirical validations from clinical observations, enhancing its utility in metabolic assessments without altering the core equation. This work underscored the limitations of prior weight-only approaches, such as the Meeh formula, and promoted multidimensional models for broader applicability. The evolution toward multidimensional TBSA models continued in the 1930s with Edith Boyd's contributions, which emphasized adaptations for age and sex to address variations across the lifespan. In her 1935 monograph, Boyd analyzed extensive anthropometric data from over 1,000 individuals, developing age-specific equations that adjusted surface area estimates for growth patterns and subtle sex differences in . Her self-adjusting , such as BSA = 0.03330 \times W^{(0.6157 - 0.0188 \log_{10} W)} \times H^{0.3} (where W is weight in grams and H is in centimeters), particularly benefited pediatric calculations by accounting for disproportionate body segment changes during development.

Calculation Methods

Du Bois Formula

The Du Bois formula represents the most widely used mathematical method for estimating total body surface area (TBSA) based on an individual's height and weight, providing a precise calculation suitable for clinical applications in adults. Developed as an empirical model, it expresses TBSA in square meters (m²) using the equation: BSA (m²)=0.007184×weight (kg)0.425×height (cm)0.725\text{BSA (m²)} = 0.007184 \times \text{weight (kg)}^{0.425} \times \text{height (cm)}^{0.725} This formula incorporates allometric exponents derived from logarithmic regression to account for the non-linear relationship between body dimensions and surface area. The formula was derived from direct using molds of nine Caucasian subjects (eight and one ) in , where the molds were cut into strips to quantify the surface areas of body segments before applying statistical fitting to height and weight data. These measurements established a baseline that has been validated primarily for adult populations through subsequent comparisons with direct measurement techniques and its consistent performance in metabolic and dosing studies. To illustrate its application, consider an weighing 70 kg and measuring 170 cm in . The calculation proceeds step by step as follows:
  1. Raise the weight to the power of 0.425: 700.4256.0870^{0.425} \approx 6.08.
  2. Raise the to the power of 0.725: 1700.72541.57170^{0.725} \approx 41.57.
  3. Multiply the results: 6.08×41.57252.86.08 \times 41.57 \approx 252.8.
  4. Multiply by : 0.007184×252.81.810.007184 \times 252.8 \approx 1.81 .
This yields an estimated TBSA of approximately 1.81 , a value typical for an average male of these dimensions. The Du Bois formula offers high accuracy for normal-weight adults, with errors typically under 5% when compared to direct measurements in validation studies for that population, though it overestimates in obese individuals. It remains widely used in many clinical protocols for applications such as dosing and assessment due to its empirical robustness and widespread adoption.

Mosteller Formula

The Mosteller formula provides a simplified method for estimating total body surface area (TBSA), particularly suited for rapid clinical calculations. Proposed by Robert D. Mosteller in 1987, it was developed to offer an easier-to-compute alternative to earlier models while maintaining comparable predictive accuracy for adults. The formula is expressed as: BSA (m²)=height (cm)×weight (kg)3600\text{BSA (m²)} = \sqrt{\frac{\text{height (cm)} \times \text{weight (kg)}}{3600}}
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