Theory 098/Veterinary Medicine
Anesthetic Risk Is a Surface Ratio
The claim
Small-animal anesthetic risk is set by the ratio of body mass to surface area rather than by mass, so small patients are dosed proportionally higher.
01The mechanism
Heat loss and drug distribution scale with surface area, while dose scales with mass; the ratio determines how much margin is consumed.
02Predictions
- P1Risk should rise as the ratio falls.
- P2Small patients should need adjusted dosing.
03Refutation
Risk tracking mass would remove the surface term.