Height measurement for double amputee

[firstclass]

What is the correct way of checking the height of a double amputee? Do we have to measure him with the prosthesis? Or does it have to be from head to the end of the amputation?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

For purposes of obtaining a proper BSA calculation for pharmacy, the patient's height would be from head to stump (not from head to prosthetic toe). If the patient is only 55 inches tall without his prosthetic legs, that's the height that your hospital's pharmacy dept. will need to calculate the body surface area (BSA) appropriately.

[firstclass]

Thank you so much for the prompt reply. I am a rehab nurse too and I am looking forward to learning lots of things from you. God bless you

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

You never know what you might learn cruising Allnurses.com:)

This is something I've never thought about but could run into - and the pharmacy implication is something important to consider.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

What is the correct way of checking the height of a double amputee? Do we have to measure him with the prosthesis? Or does it have to be from head to the end of the amputation?

All my years working as a rehab CNA I wondered this!! I also wondered if the patients get to choose how tall they'd like to be when they get fitted for prosthetics.

Is that awful? :-/

[firstclass]

We had to put the patient back in the bed take off the prosthesis and measure him. When we were doing this the family of the patient got very upset as in their culture people are measured like this only when they are dead for the coffin

[globalRN]

That is correct about drug dosing and BSA.

I am curious which culture measures for a coffin that way....I have never heard of it?

[MarticaRRT]

Respiratory Therapist use the patients height to calculate tidal volumes. Documenting height from head to stump results in smaller inaccurate volumes.