Code Blue is a simple drug calculator for Palm OS handhelds. It is designed for rapid acquisition of medication doses in a resuscitation setting. The calculator is primarily designed for pediatric dosing based on age and weight, but it contains adult doses as well. The design allows the user to quickly see all the medications relevant to a specific task on one screen. The program is divided into 5 sections. Rapid Sequence, Tubes and Lines, ACLS, Neurological, and Burns. Each section contains information relevant to the resuscitation of that particular patient/situation. Only commonly used medications were included. It is likely that some users will find that an agent they commonly use is not present. If this is the case, please email me at suggestions@em-innovations.com. If enough people request a specific drug, I will modify the application to include/replace a certain agent. By design, the program does not scroll. The purpose was to create a single screen, packed with information-- yet still legible and useful. To begin, pull down the AGE selector. Selecting an age will insert an estimated weight into the WEIGHT box located at the top of the screen. Weights are based on the CDC: National Health and Nutrition Exam Survey, May 2000. For a given age, the 50th percentile weights were averaged for both male and females to come up with an estimate. The Tubes and Lines section uses length to estimate tube sizes. Lengths are estimated using the same data set, and are composed of averages of 50th percentile lengths for both male and female patients. If you wish to enter a patient weight, click the red "C" to clear the weight box. Then place your cursor in the weight box, and manually enter a weight using graffiti, or the PALM keyboard. If you are entering a weight in (lb), make sure to click the (lb) key prior to entering the weight. All calculations are in kilograms. All weights will be converted to kilograms. If the selector is set to (lb), you will see the weight in pounds, but the medication doses are appropriately calculated in kilograms. You can also use the kg/lb buttons as a rapid converter-- kg <--> lb. Medication
doses are based on a review of several prescribing references.
See the Dosing
Explanation for more information. Rapid Sequence This section contains drugs used in rapid sequence intubation. It is divided into pre-medication, induction, and paralytics. Many of the medications are not approved for certain age groups. In these cases, Code Blue will show "N/A". Many medications also have different dosing regimens for different ages and weights. The program takes this into account and modifies the calculations and corresponding medication label.
Tubes & Lines This section is a reproduction of tape based equipment estimators. References state that estimation of tube and line sizes is more accurately estimated based on patient length, rather than weight. This intuitively makes sense. Code Blue still attempts to estimate weight based on age. It also attempts to estimate length based on age. To help the user more accurately estimate tubes and lines, the corresponding published lengths are presented with the tube and line sizes.
ACLS This section presents commonly used ACLS medications. It includes vasopressors, and anti-arrhythmics. Like the other medication sections, all dosing ranges are age based, and change according to the weight and age selected. See the Drug Dosing section for details on the ranges selected.
Neurological This section is useful primarily for head injuries, spinal cord and neurological traumas. It contains dosing for diuretics, and steroids used in the initial resuscitation stages of a neuro trauma. It also contains a GCS scale, with pediatric equivilents of the adult scale.
Burns The final section, Burns provides the user with a pediatric friendly Rule of 9's calculator. Because pediatric proportions are different than adults, estimates of body surface area based on an adult scale will not represent the true injury. This calculator estimates pediatric proportions based on weight/age. Simply click on the detailed body parts to include them in the calculation. Enter the patient's weight at the top, or select the patient's age from any of the previous screens. The patient's BSA is calculated. To the right of the Weight is the Parkland Formula's estimate for fluid replacement. Parkland
formula: 4 x BSA x wt(kg) |
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