Shown in a recent study to significantly increase the speed, accuracy and confidence of prescribing in a paediatric emergency (Flannigan and McAloon, Resuscitation 2011). The PICU Calculator has been developed by an experienced team of clinicians to provide the user with a wealth of information with a few simple clicks.

The Lite version has full functionality but only displays a limited number of results.

The full version of the ‘PICU Calculator’ provides normal values and doses for the following:

1)Normal Physiological Values
•Heart Rate
•Respiratory Rate
•Systolic Blood Pressure
•Mean Arterial Pressure
•Minimum Urinary Output
•Estimated Blood Volume
•Tidal Volume
•Body Surface Area

2)Airway
•ET Tube Internal Diameter
•ET Tube Length (Oral)
•ET Tube Length (Nasal)
•LMA Size

3)Fluids
•Fluid Bolus
•Fluid Bolus (Trauma/DKA)
•Hypoglycaemia
•Maintenance

4)Induction Agents
•Fentanyl
•Ketamine
•Midazolam
•Propofol
•Thiopentone

5)Muscle Relaxants
•Atracurium
•Rocuronium
•Suxamethonium
•Vecuronium

6) Resuscitation
•Adrenaline
•Amiodarone
•Atropine
•Calcium Chloride
•Calcium Gluconate
•DC Shock
•Magnesium Sulphate
•Sodium Bicarbonate

7)Infusions
•Adrenaline
•Aminophylline
•Amiodarone
•Atracurium
•Clonidine
•Dinoprostone
•Dobutamine
•Dopamine
•Epoprostenol
•Esmolol
•Fentanyl
•Furosemide
•Glyceryl Trinitrate
•Heparin
•Insulin
•Isoprenaline
•Ketamine
•Labetalol
•Midazolam
•Milrinone
•Morphine
•Noradrenaline
•Potassium Chloride
•Salbutamol
•Sodium Nitroprusside
•Thiopentone
•Vasopressin
•Vecuronium

8)Antibiotics
•Aciclovir
•Amoxicillin
•Benzylpenicillin
•Cefotaxime
•Ceftazidime
•Ceftriaxone
•Cefuroxime
•Ciprofloxacin
•Clindamycin
•Co-amoxiclav
•Flucloxacillin
•Gentamicin
•Meropenem
•Metronidazole
•Tazocin
•Teicoplanin
•Vancomycin

The easy to use interphase and organisation into the above categories means the user can quickly find the information they need and make this application a real joy to use. Important design features include:

•The option to enter age in ‘Years, Months and Days’ or as ‘Date of Birth’
•If known weight can be entered in ‘Kg’ or ‘Lb/Oz’
•If weight is not known the calculator will provide an ‘estimated weight’ which has been calculated from the 50th centile for age and sex from World Health Organisation (WHO) growth charts. This increases the accuracy of the results provided by the calculator compared to using the standard formula (age in years + 4) x 2 to calculate estimated weight.