mLmin173m2

mLmin173m2 is a unit of measurement used to express flow rate adjusted for body surface area. The 'mL' stands for milliliters, indicating a volume of liquid. 'min' signifies minutes, representing a unit of time. The '173m2' portion refers to 173 square meters, a standard reference for body surface area. Therefore, mLmin173m2 quantifies how many milliliters of a substance flow per minute for every 173 square meters of a patient's body surface area.

This unit is commonly encountered in medical contexts, particularly in nephrology and critical care. It is used to standardize the measurement of renal function, such as glomerular filtration rate (GFR). By normalizing GFR to body surface area, clinicians can compare kidney function across individuals of different sizes. A patient with a larger body surface area might naturally have a higher absolute GFR, but when expressed in mLmin173m2, it provides a more accurate reflection of their kidney's efficiency relative to their body's needs.

The calculation of mLmin173m2 typically involves measuring the absolute flow rate (in mL/min) and then dividing it by the individual's body surface area (in m2), finally multiplying by the standard reference area of 173 m2. This normalization helps in diagnosing kidney disease, monitoring its progression, and determining appropriate medication dosages that are excreted by the kidneys.