An Indian pediatric emergency weight estimation tool: prospective adjustment of the Broselow tape

BACKGROUND: This study aims to remodel the Broselow Pediatric Emergency Tape for the Indian pediatric population. The Broselow tape overestimates the heights of the Indian pediatric population and remits inaccurate predicted weights for all color zones with varying degrees and could result in overresuscitation of Indian children in emergency settings. The Indian children are underweight for their age and height. METHODS: We prospectively collected cross-sectional data on a sample of 1185 children aged 1 month to 12 years old in Chennai, India. The Broselow tape was used for length-based weight estimation, and actual weight was recorded by a weighing scale. In the first stage, we recruited 769 children. With univariate linear regression, we adjusted the Broselow tape by an 8 % correction factor to enhance accuracy and created a new tape with new weight and height ranges. In the second stage, we recruited 416 children and tested the new ranges for accuracy. RESULTS: The Broselow tape overestimates weights with a mean percentage difference of 5–15 % depending on the color zone. Accuracy of the Broselow tape by color-coded zone was between 33–86.6 %, with higher weight color zones showing lower accuracy. The new Indian pediatric weight estimation tool (IPWET), based on the Broselow tape has a weight range of 4–36 kg and height range of 50–150 cm (Broselow tape, 3–36 kg, 46–146.5 cm) and an improved accuracy between 51–97.8 %. CONCLUSIONS: A remodeled Broselow tape can predict weights with higher accuracy in the Indian pediatric population.