Predicted Body Weight + ARDSnet Tidal Volume
Predicted Body Weight + ARDSnet Tidal Volume - a deterministic tool in Sophie Well's Clinical Math & Conversions group.
Open the Predicted Body Weight + ARDSnet Tidal Volume → Runs in your browser. No signup, no tracking.
What this is
Compute Devine predicted body weight (PBW) from height and sex - 50 kg for men plus 2.3 kg per inch over 60 inches, 45.5 kg for women plus the same per-inch increment - and convert it into the ARDSNet lung-protective tidal-volume target at 4-8 mL/kg PBW (default 6 mL/kg, the trial's primary arm). Sophie Well returns the PBW in kilograms and the Vt target range in millilitres so a respiratory therapist or intensivist can verify the ventilator setting at the bedside.
When to use it
Use this on every mechanically ventilated patient with ARDS, suspected ARDS, or any acute hypoxemic respiratory failure where lung-protective ventilation is the standard of care - which, since the 2000 ARDSNet trial, is most of them. The trial showed an absolute mortality reduction with 6 mL/kg PBW versus 12 mL/kg PBW; using actual body weight in an overweight patient routinely produces injurious tidal volumes. The number is also worth checking on transport or after a vent swap. PBW does not account for amputation, severe kyphoscoliosis, or pregnancy; adjust clinically in those settings.
References
ARDSNet. Lower tidal volumes for ARDS. NEJM 2000;342:1301-1308. PBW per Devine 1974.
Worked example: PBW ~70.5 kg, target Vt ~423 mL.
Sophie Well is a reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice. Does not replace clinician judgment, professional billing review, or legal counsel.