• Darko Skrobo and Gemma Kelleher.
• Emergency Department, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
• Emerg Med J. 2015 Jan 1; 32 (1): 32-5.

BackgroundIn a resuscitation situation involving a child (age 1-15 years) it is crucial to obtain a weight as most interventions and management depend on it. The APLS formula, '2×(age+4)', is taught via the APLS course and is widely used in Irish hospitals. As the prevalence of obesity is increasing the accuracy of the formula has been questioned and a newer formula has been suggested, the Luscombe and Owens (LO) formula, '(3×age)+7'.Aims And ObjectivesTo gather data on the weights and ages of the Cork paediatric population (ages 1-15 years) attending services at the Cork University Hospital (CUH), and to identify which of the two age-based weight estimation formulae has best diagnostic accuracy.SettingCUH, Ireland's only level one trauma centre.MethodsRetrospective data collection from charts in the Emergency Department, Paediatric Assessment Unit and the Paediatric wards of CUH.Results3155 children aged 1-15 years were included in the study. There were 1344 girls and 1811 boys. The formula weight='2×(age+4)' underestimated children's weights by a mean of 20.3% (95% CI 19.7% to 20.9%) for the ages of 1-15 years. The LO formula weight='(3×age)+7' showed a mean underestimation of 4.0% (95% CI 3.3% to 4.6%) for the same age range.ConclusionsThe LO formula has been validated in several studies and proven to be a superior age-based weight estimation formula in many western emergency departments. This study shows that the LO formula leads to less underestimation of weights in Irish children than the APLS formula. It is a simple, safe and more accurate age-based estimation formula that can be used over a large age range (1-15 years).Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

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