Little people

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Going over our dosage calc, I had a thought come up. With peds patients, we have to base the medication dose to give by their weight. What would the dosage be then if a patient was a little person, or dwarf? Would it be the peds dose or an adult dose?

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Going over our dosage calc, I had a thought come up. With peds patients, we have to base the medication dose to give by their weight. What would the dosage be then if a patient was a little person, or dwarf? Would it be the peds dose or an adult dose?

Most (possibly all) adult drugs have ranges. Some are even dosed by kg, as with children. A smaller person (for any reason) may need a dose on the lower end of the range, it just depends on the drug and the person.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Good question. It would also apply to those who've had the bilat lower limb amputations.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

i adjust my adult med dosage orders for:

1. Very small size (under 100 lbs)

2. Low body fat %

I do not adjust my dosage for pts that have amputations.

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Meds dosed by kilos/body surface area need recalculations for such patients. There are special tables calvulating body surface for amputees and achondoplasia patients (the most common form of dwarfism - think about that guy playing Tyrion Lannister in "Game of Thrones" :) Not treated pituitary dwarfs (different forms of GH defiviency) usually go by peds calculations because their body proportions remain unchanged to "adult" proportions.

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