Medication Calculation and Dilution

Introduction to Medication Calculation

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends calculating medication doses based on patient weight, formulation, and specific indication, using standardized formulas and tables 1
• For most pediatric patients, the dose is calculated based on body weight, using the formula: Dose = Dosage (mg/kg) × Weight (kg) 1

Medication Calculation Formulas

• The formula for calculating the dose based on body surface area (BSA) is: Dose = Dosage (mg/m²) × BSA (m²) 1
• The BSA can be calculated using the Mosteller formula: BSA (m²) = √(Height [cm] × Weight [kg] / 3600) 1

Medication Examples

• For Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), the recommended dose is:
• The concentration of a medication can be calculated using the formula: Concentration (mg/mL) = Medication amount (mg) / Solution volume (mL) 3
• The infusion rate can be calculated using the formula: Infusion rate (mL/h) = (desired dose [μg/min] × 60) / Concentration [μg/mL] [3]

Dosing Adjustments

• For patients with renal impairment (creatinine clearance 10-30 mL/min), the recommended dose of Oseltamivir is:
• The dose of medication can be adjusted based on postmenstrual age (gestational age + chronological age) 2, 4

Best Practices for Medication Calculation

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends double-checking calculations with a second person 1
• Standardized units should always be used (e.g. mg instead of g or μg) 1
• Unnecessary decimal places should be avoided (e.g. 1 mg instead of 1.0 mg) 1
• All calculation steps should be documented 1
• Maximum doses should be checked to ensure the calculated dose does not exceed the maximum dose 1