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Rule of Fives (Burn Percent)

`BSA % = "Rule of Fives (Burn Percent)"`
`(H)"Portion of head burned."`
`(LA)"Portion of left arm burned."`
`(RA)"Portion of right arm burned."`
`(T)"Portion of the trunk burned."`
`(LL)"Portion of left leg burned."`
`(RL)"Portion of right leg burned."`
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The Rule of Fives calculator computes the percent of a Body Surface Area that is burned based on the Rule of Fives often used for obese patients.

INSTRUCTIONS:  Enter the following:

  • (H)  Indicate the portion of the head burned: None, Quarter, Half, Three Fourths, Complete
  • (LA)  Indicate the portion of the left arm burned: None, Quarter, Half, Three Fourths, Complete
  • (RA)  Indicate the portion of the right arm burned: None, Quarter, Half, Three Fourths, Complete
  • (T)  Indicate the portion of the chest burned: None, Quarter, Half, Three Fourths, Complete
  • (LL)  Indicate the portion of the left leg burned: None, Quarter, Half, Three Fourths, Complete
  • (RL)  Indicate the portion of the right leg burned: None, Quarter, Half, Three Fourths, Complete

Percent BSA:  The calculator returns the percent of the burned Body Surface Area.

Related Calculators:

Burn Surface Area

The Rule of Fives can be used to approximate the percent of a patient that is burned.   It applies a percent of Body Surface Area, and differs from the Wallace Rule of Nines and often used for obese patients.  It applies a larger portion of the body surface area to the trunk and legs as follows:

  • (2%) Entire head
  • (5%) Complete left arm
  • (5%) Complete right arm
  • (50%) Trunk
  • (20%) Complete left leg
  • (20%) Complete right leg

Body Surface Area (BSA) is the measured or calculated surface area of a human body frequently used in physiology and medicine. For many clinical purposes BSA is a better indicator of metabolic mass than body weight because it is less affected by abnormal adipose mass. Estimation of BSA is simpler than many measures of volume.

BSA Calculators vs Inputs
Method   Height   Weight  Gender 
Mosteller  x   x   
Gehan and George  x   x   
Boyd  x   x   
DuBois  x   x   
Haycock  x   x   
Fujimoto  x   x   
Takahira  x   x   
Schlick   x   x   x
Costeff     x   
Wang Hihara  x   x   

Demographic BSA Means

Mean Body Surface Area (male and female)
Age Range Male Female
Neonate 0.243 m² 0.234 m²
2 years old 0.563 m² 0.54 m²
5 years old 0.787 m² 0.771 m²
10 years old 1.236 m² 1.245 m²
13 years old 1.603 m² 1.55 m²
18 years old 1.98 m² 1.726 m²
20 to 79 years old 2.06 m² 1.83 m²
80 and above 1.92 m² 1.638 m²

Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculators

Other BSA Applications

  • The BSA Compare function lets you enter a body surface area and choose a demographic (above) to compute the percent compared to the mean.
  • Wallace Rule of Nines:  This computes a percentage of the human body for burn victims based on percentages allocated to different body parts.
  • Rule of Fives: This computes a percentage of the human body for obese burn victims.
  • Parkland Replacement Fluid: This compute the volume of replacement fluids needed in the first 24 hours based on the patients weight (mass) and the percent of their body that has been burned.
  • BSA Percent: This computes a body surface area based on the total body surface area and a percent..

References:
Dedication
  • For my Scout.