Faculty mentor/PI email address
jim010@aol.com
Is your research Teaching and Learning based?
1
Keywords
Weight-based dosing; Emergency Department; AUC; Rapid Sequence Intubation; Obesity; Vancomycin; Pharmacokinetics; Medication safety; Precision dosing; Complexity science
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Weight-based dosing is foundational to emergency medicine practice. With modern ED beds capable of automatic patient weighing, inaccuracies in estimated weight have largely diminished. However, medication misalignment persists, particularly in patients at extremes of body weight and in high-stakes clinical contexts such as rapid sequence intubation (RSI), antimicrobial therapy, and anticoagulation. Emerging pharmacokinetic literature emphasizes total drug exposure—represented by the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC)—as a stronger correlate of efficacy and toxicity than single-point serum levels. This review explores where weight precision most likely matters in the ED, examines weight scalars, and reframes dosing decisions through an exposure-centered paradigm. Areas for future research are discussed in this review.
Disciplines
Emergency Medicine | Medical Pharmacology | Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Included in
Emergency Medicine Commons, Medical Pharmacology Commons, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons
The Complex World of Emergency Department Medication Dosing: Weight Scalars, Dose and Area Under the Curve (AUC) in Medication Dosing--Areas for Future Research
Weight-based dosing is foundational to emergency medicine practice. With modern ED beds capable of automatic patient weighing, inaccuracies in estimated weight have largely diminished. However, medication misalignment persists, particularly in patients at extremes of body weight and in high-stakes clinical contexts such as rapid sequence intubation (RSI), antimicrobial therapy, and anticoagulation. Emerging pharmacokinetic literature emphasizes total drug exposure—represented by the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC)—as a stronger correlate of efficacy and toxicity than single-point serum levels. This review explores where weight precision most likely matters in the ED, examines weight scalars, and reframes dosing decisions through an exposure-centered paradigm. Areas for future research are discussed in this review.