Burcat S, Kelly M.  Calculating doses and flow rates and administering continuous intravenous infusions.  In:  AACN Procedure Manual for Critical Care, Wiegand D, ed.  Elsevier/Saunders, 2011,  p. 1243.

According to authors, the choice of which weight to use is inconsistent in the literature.   They advocate using admission weight for consistency and consulting a clinical pharmacist in the case of an obese patient or for dosing medications that can have “dangerous toxicities.”

For articles discussing issues of weight-based dosages for specific medications, use PubMed and add “AND weight-based” to a search for the drug.

Reviewed 4/15/2014 ldt