Can the Broselow tape be used to estimate weight and endotracheal tube size in Korean children?

BACKGROUND: The Broselow pediatric emergency tape (BT) was developed to provide a length-based estimate of body weight and equipment size during resuscitation.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a validation study on the use of the BT in Korean children.

METHODS: Anesthesia records from children were retrospectively reviewed. The measured weights of the subjects were compared with the BT weight estimates by using Bland-Altman analysis. The accuracy of the BT and age-based formula in predicting the endotracheal tube (ETT) size were also compared. The authors drew a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve to evaluate the cutoff height that would be acceptable for the application of BT without error in Korean children.

RESULTS: A total of 665 children (mean [+/- SD] age, 5.1 [+/- 3.3] years, 61.8% male) were enrolled. The average measured weight of the Korean children was 1.54 kg heavier than the BT estimates (95% CI = 1.24 to 1.85 kg). The BT estimates showed better agreement with the actually used ETT sizes than did the age-based formula estimates (86.9% vs. 34.9%, p < 0.001). The cutoff height of the ROC curve was 127.15 cm. When the BT was used in children who were shorter than the cutoff height, 98.8% of the enrolled children's estimated weights were within the limits of agreement.

CONCLUSIONS: The BT can be used in Korean children as a helpful adjunct during resuscitation to estimate the weight and ETT size.