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Total body surface area
View on WikipediaTotal 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%.)
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Burn Percentage in Adults: Rule of Nines
- ^ Types of Burns Archived 2008-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ O'Sullivan, Susan B., Schmitz, Thomas J. Physical Rehabilitation. 5th ed. F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, 2007. p. 1098, Fig 27.9.
Total body surface area
View on GrokipediaDefinition and Importance
Definition
Body surface area (BSA), also known as total body surface area (TBSA), represents the estimated total external surface area of the human body.[5] 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.[5] BSA is expressed in square meters (m²), with average values ranging from approximately 1.6 m² for adult women to 1.9 m² for adult men, depending on individual anthropometric variations.[6] It is derived from basic anthropometric data, such as height and weight, which allow for indirect estimation rather than direct measurement, as physically tracing the body's contours would be impractical.[5][7] 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, drug metabolism, and the assessment of injury extent.[5][6] For instance, it normalizes calculations for cardiac output to derive the cardiac index or adjusts chemotherapy dosages to body size, ensuring more precise medical interventions.[5] This foundational role underscores BSA's utility in clinical practice, where accurate scaling is essential for patient safety and treatment efficacy.[6]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.[8] 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.[5][9] In clinical practice, BSA is routinely used to normalize metabolic rates and cardiac output for equitable evaluations; for instance, dividing cardiac output by BSA yields the cardiac index (typically 2.5-4.0 L/min/m²), which assesses heart function independently of body size and aids in diagnosing conditions like heart failure. This normalization is particularly valuable in pediatrics and obesity, where weight alone skews interpretations, allowing clinicians to compare physiological performance accurately. Similarly, in oncology, 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.[5]History
Early Developments
The concept of total body surface area (TBSA) emerged in the late 19th century 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 1879 through his seminal work on surface measurements of the human body. Meeh's motivation stemmed from observations in animal physiology, where body surface area 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 metabolism and thermoregulation.[5] Meeh derived his formula 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 equation, 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 principle that surface area grows disproportionately to volume as body size increases. These foundational body surface area (BSA) estimations later informed TBSA percentage methods in burn assessment.[10] 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 torso. These techniques, while imprecise due to challenges in capturing body contours and individual variations, provided the foundational data for Meeh's formula and highlighted the need for non-invasive alternatives. Over time, these weight-only models evolved into more refined height-weight based formulas to better account for body proportions.[9]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 mathematician, and her cousin Eugene F. Du Bois, a physician specializing in metabolism. In 1916, they introduced a seminal formula that integrated both height and weight for improved accuracy, derived from measurements of nine subjects using plaster molds and photographic paper to map body contours. This formula, BSA = 0.007184 \times W^{0.425} \times H^{0.725} (where W is weight in kilograms and H is height in centimeters), provided a more reliable predictor for adults and became a cornerstone for clinical applications in calorimetry and physiology.[11] 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 Archives of Internal Medicine, 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.[12] 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 body proportions. Her self-adjusting formula, 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 height in centimeters), particularly benefited pediatric calculations by accounting for disproportionate body segment changes during development.[13]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: This formula incorporates allometric exponents derived from logarithmic regression to account for the non-linear relationship between body dimensions and surface area.[11][5] The formula was derived from direct measurements using plaster molds of nine Caucasian subjects (eight adults and one child) in 1916, 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.[11][14][5][15] To illustrate its application, consider an adult weighing 70 kg and measuring 170 cm in height. The calculation proceeds step by step as follows:- Raise the weight to the power of 0.425: .
- Raise the height to the power of 0.725: .
- Multiply the results: .
- Multiply by the constant: m².
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.[17] The formula is expressed as: [17] This equation requires only basic arithmetic operations—a multiplication, division, and square root—eliminating the need for complex exponents or additional constants found in traditional formulas. Its conciseness makes it particularly advantageous in resource-limited settings, such as field medicine or environments without access to calculators or software.[18] It demonstrates accuracy equivalent to the Du Bois formula across typical adult body sizes, though minor discrepancies may arise at extremes of height and weight.[19] To illustrate its application, consider an individual who is 170 cm tall and weighs 70 kg. First, multiply height by weight: 170 × 70 = 11,900. Next, divide by 3600: 11,900 / 3600 ≈ 3.3056. Finally, take the square root: √3.3056 ≈ 1.82 m². This process can be performed mentally or with minimal tools, highlighting the formula's practicality.[17]Burn Estimation Techniques
Rule of Nines
The Rule of Nines is a rapid, visual estimation technique used in emergency medicine to approximate the percentage of total body surface area (TBSA) affected by burns in adults, facilitating immediate triage and fluid resuscitation decisions.[1] It divides the adult body into anatomical sections, each representing 9% or multiples of 9% of the TBSA, allowing clinicians to quickly sum the burned areas without precise measurements.[1]| Body Region | Percentage of TBSA |
|---|---|
| Head and neck | 9% |
| Each upper extremity | 9% |
| Anterior trunk | 18% |
| Posterior trunk | 18% |
| Each lower extremity | 18% |
| Perineum | 1% |
