Dose Calculation: 15mg/63kg
15 mg divided by 63 kg equals approximately 0.24 mg/kg.
Mathematical Calculation
- 15 mg ÷ 63 kg = 0.238 mg/kg (rounded to 0.24 mg/kg) 1
Clinical Context for Weight-Based Dosing
This calculation represents a subtherapeutic dose for most medications that use weight-based dosing in clinical practice. For comparison with common weight-based medication regimens:
Standard Weight-Based Dosing Examples
Aminoglycosides (Streptomycin, Amikacin, Kanamycin): Standard adult dosing is 12-15 mg/kg per dose, meaning 0.24 mg/kg would represent only 1.6-2% of the recommended dose 2
Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins: Enoxaparin for acute coronary syndrome uses 1 mg/kg twice daily, making 0.24 mg/kg approximately 24% of a therapeutic dose 2
Pediatric Dosing Standards: Most pediatric medications require significantly higher mg/kg doses than 0.24 mg/kg to achieve therapeutic effect 2, 3
Importance of Accurate Weight Documentation
Weight should always be recorded in kilograms on medication prescriptions to enable proper dose verification and prevent calculation errors 3
Dosing errors are more common in pediatric patients where weight-based calculations are standard practice, and a dose of 0.24 mg/kg would likely represent a significant underdose for most therapeutic indications 4, 5
For obese patients, the type of weight used (actual body weight vs. ideal body weight) significantly impacts dosing accuracy, particularly for drugs with limited distribution into adipose tissue 6
Common Pitfall
The calculated dose of 0.24 mg/kg is far below therapeutic ranges for virtually all weight-based medications used in clinical practice. If this represents an actual clinical scenario, the prescriber should verify whether the intended dose was 15 mg/kg (which would equal 945 mg for a 63 kg patient) rather than 15 mg total 1, 3.