Apgar score: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (2024)

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Apgar score: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia? ›

Apgar is a quick test performed on a baby at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. The 1-minute score determines how well the baby tolerated the birthing process. The 5-minute score tells the health care provider how well the baby is doing outside the mother's womb.

The Apgar score is a standardized assessment of a neonate's status immediately after birth and the response to resuscitation efforts and remains the gold standard for evaluating neonates.

The newborn is commonly assessed with the APGAR score, a quick test performed at 1 and 5 minutes after birth to determine the physical condition of the newborn. The five categories assessed are heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color.

A baby who scores a 7 or above on the test is considered in good health. A lower score does not mean that your baby is unhealthy. It means that your baby may need some immediate medical care, such as suctioning of the airways or oxygen to help him or her breathe better.

Acronym. Some ten years after initial publication, a backronym for APGAR was coined in the United States as a mnemonic learning aid: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration.

Limitations of the Apgar Score

There are numerous factors that can influence the Apgar score, including maternal sedation or anesthesia, congenital malformations, gestational age, trauma, and interobserver variability 6. In addition, the biochemical disturbance must be significant before the score is affected.

For each vital organ the baby is given a score of 2, 1 or 0 points. A total Apgar score of 8 or 10 indicates that the baby is in good condition. A score of 4–7 indicates moderate birth asphyxia. A score of 2–4 indicates severe birth asphyxia and a need for urgent resuscitation.

Heart rate is evaluated by stethoscope. This is the most important assessment: If there is no heartbeat, the infant scores 0 for heart rate. If heart rate is less than 100 beats per minute, the infant scores 1 for heart rate.

G — Grimace: Grimace is your baby's reaction to stimulation. It's also called reflex irritability. Your baby's healthcare provider will determine grimace by suctioning your baby's nose or mouth. A — Activity: Activity is a measure of your baby's muscle tone or movement.

Low Apgar scores are poorly correlated with long-term intellectual outcome.

How many pounds is a healthy baby? ›

Newborns come in a range of healthy sizes. Most babies born between 37 and 40 weeks weigh somewhere between 5 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams) and 8 pounds, 13 ounces (4,000 grams). Newborns who are lighter or heavier than the average baby are usually fine.

The Apgar score is just a quick way for us to assess a newborn's condition at one minute of life. If your baby doesn't get a 10 at one minute or even after five minutes, don't worry. Very few babies get a perfect Apgar score – in fact at our hospital, fewer than 1 in 100 get that perfect 10.

If your baby has a low Apgar score, which is defined as 6 or below, they may have signs such as a slow heart rate or no heart rate, weak breathing or no breathing, little flexion or no muscle tone, little to no response to stimulation, and little to no color, which means poor blood flow or circulation.

Developed in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar, then a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and director of obstetric anesthesia at Presbyterian Hospital, the Apgar score is used around the world for assessing newborns' health as they take their first breaths.

A score of 7 or higher is considered a good Apgar score. Very few newborns score a perfect 10 because it takes a while for their hands and feet to warm up and turn pink. About 90% of infants have Apgar scores of 7 to 10.

Apgar scores are clinical indicators of a baby's condition shortly after birth. The score is based on 5 characteristics of the baby: skin colour, pulse, breathing, muscle tone and reflex irritability. Each characteristic is given between 0 and 2 points, with a total score between 0 and 10 points.

The Apgar score is measured at 1 and 5 minutes and then at 10 and 20 minutes as resuscitative efforts are continued. A score of 0 to 3 indicates a severely depressed neonate, whereas a score of 7 to 10 is considered normal.

One- and 5-minute Apgar scores were added to the U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth in 1978.