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Development and Validation of Indian Children Length-based Tape (InChiTape) for Use in Critically Sick Children
Suresh K Angurana1, Shalu Gupta2, Lokesh Tiwari3
1Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India.
Insights
The Indian Children Length-based Tape (InChiTape) accurately estimates weight in critically ill Indian children aged 1 month to 12 years. This validated tool aids in emergency drug dosing and equipment selection for pediatric critical care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Clinical Tool Development
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Length-based tapes are vital for estimating weight, drug dosages, and equipment size in critically ill children.
- The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) identified the need for an indigenous length-based tape for Indian children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a color-coded length-based tape, the Indian Children Length-based Tape (InChiTape), for use in critically sick Indian children.
- To provide a reliable tool for emergency weight estimation in pediatric critical care.
Main Methods:
- Developed the InChiTape using WHO and IAP weight-for-length/height charts for boys.
- Included children aged 1 month to 12 years and weighing 2.5-40 kg across 14 centers in India.
- Marked median weights/lengths and corresponding standard deviations on the tape.
Main Results:
- Data from 1,595 children were pooled, with the majority aged 1-3.9 years.
- The InChiTape correctly estimated weight within the expected range for 69.1% of children.
- A strong correlation (Pearson r=0.95, p<0.001) was found between actual weight and the tape's estimated weight.
Conclusions:
- The InChiTape is a rapid, reliable, and accurate method for estimating the weight of Indian children (2.5-40 kg) in emergency settings.
- This indigenous tool can improve the management of critically ill children in India.
Background And Aim:
Length-based tapes are extremely useful in critically sick children to estimate weight, emergency drug dosages, size of the equipment, and dose of defibrillation/cardioversion. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), Advanced Life Support (ALS), and Basic Life Support (BLS) group felt the need to develop an indigenous tape for Indian children. A color-coded length-based tape [Indian Children Length-based Tape (InChiTape)] was planned to develop and later validate it.
Patients And Methods:
The population included children admitted to the emergency in the age range of 1 month-12 years and weight range of 2.5-40 kg. A color-coded length-based tape was developed using the World Health Organization (WHO) weight-for-length/height charts for boys (≤5 years) and the IAP weight-for-length/height charts for boys (>5 years). The median weights/lengths, corresponding +2SD and -2SD lengths, were marked on the charts for boys starting from 2.5 kg onward.
Results:
Fourteen centers from all zones of India pooled the data of 1,595 children. The majority of children were in the age range of 1-3.9 years (30%) and weight range of 5-9.9 and 10-14.9 kg (24.9 and 24.4%, respectively). The actual weight of children corresponded to the correct weight range/band on the InChiTape in 69.1% (n = 1,102) children, ranging from 56.6 to 78.4% in different age-groups and 55.5 to 76.3% in different weight ranges. There was a good correlation between actual weight and the average of respective weight range/band on the InChiTape (Pearson correlation of 0.95, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
The InChiTape is a rapid, reliable, and accurate method of estimating the weight of Indian children weighing 2.5-40 kg in an emergency.
How To Cite This Article:
Angurana SK, Gupta S, Tiwari L, Shamarao S, Khera D, Sarkar M, et al. Development and Validation of Indian Children Length-based Tape (InChiTape) for Use in Critically Sick Children. Indian J Crit Care Med 2026;30(1):35-39.
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