Failed validation of the Argall weight formula for estimating children's weight in an Australian emergency department

An estimate of a child's weight is required for critical interventions, particularly pharmacotherapy. Weight measurement is not always practical, so weight estimation methods are used. Recently, a new weight estimation formula was suggested. The Argall formula estimates weight in kilograms as f...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Academic emergency medicine 2007-05, Vol.14 (5), p.486-488
Main Authors: Nguyen, Kevin, Krieser, David, Kerr, Debra, Jolley, Damien, Clooney, Megan, Kelly, Anne-Maree
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropometry - methods
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Emergency medical care
Emergency Service, Hospital
Estimating techniques
Female
Humans
Male
Pediatrics
Prospective Studies
Victoria
Weight
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An estimate of a child's weight is required for critical interventions, particularly pharmacotherapy. Weight measurement is not always practical, so weight estimation methods are used. Recently, a new weight estimation formula was suggested. The Argall formula estimates weight in kilograms as follows: (age in years + 2) x 3. To validate the Argall weight formula. This was a prospective, observational, cohort study conducted in the pediatric emergency department (ED) of Sunshine Hospital. Children aged up to 11 years who presented to the ED during August 18, 2005, to February 25, 2006, were included. Actual weight, height, age, and ethnicity were obtained. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (proportion, mean, median, and SD). Agreement between estimated weight using the Argall formula and measured weight is reported by using mean bias, SD, and root mean square error (RMSE) analysis. Four hundred ten cases were included, 46% were female, and the median age was 4 years. The Argall formula had a mean bias of -1.66 kg and RMSE of 5.65. Only 37% of Argall estimates were within 10% of the child's actual weight. The formula performed less well in children weighing more than 35 kg but performed better in Asian children than white children. The Argall weight estimation formula has poor accuracy for weight estimation in Australian children, in particular those weighing more than 35 kg.
ISSN:1069-6563
1553-2712
DOI:10.1197/j.aem.2006.12.009