To convert the patient's height from feet and inches to centimeters, we need to convert each component separately.
1 foot is equivalent to 30.48 centimeters.
1 inch is equivalent to 2.54 centimeters.
The patient's height is 5 feet 10 inches.
Converting feet to centimeters: 5 feet * 30.48 centimeters/foot = 152.4 centimeters
Converting inches to centimeters: 10 inches * 2.54 centimeters/inch = 25.4 centimeters
Adding these two values together gives us the total height in centimeters:
152.4 centimeters + 25.4 centimeters = 177.8 centimeters
Therefore, the patient's height of 5 feet 10 inches is equivalent to 177.8 centimeters.