General

Total Blood Volume (Nadler's Equation)

Estimates total blood volume based on height, weight, and sex.

Enlarge

Parameters

Total Blood Volume (Nadler's Equation) Result

Formula

Males: BV = (0.3669 × H³) + (0.03219 × W) + 0.6041
Females: BV = (0.3561 × H³) + (0.03308 × W) + 0.1833
Where H is height in meters and W is weight in kilograms.

Clinical Pearls

Essential for determining Maximum Allowable Blood Loss (MABL) in the operating room prior to initiating blood transfusions.

Limitations

Not validated in children. May become less accurate in extremes of BMI (severe obesity or cachexia) or in massive fluid overload states (e.g., severe heart failure, pregnancy).