Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 10 views

    What Is The Apgar Score

    Uploaded by

    geng geng
    The Apgar score is a test given to newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth to check their heart rate, muscle tone, skin color and other signs to determine if they need medical assistance. It assesses the baby on 5 criteria on a scale of 0-2: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. A score of 7 or above generally indicates the baby is healthy, while a lower score may mean the baby needs help breathing or other care, particularly for babies born under high-risk conditions or prematurely.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    What Is The Apgar Score

    Uploaded by

    geng geng
    10 views2 pages
    The Apgar score is a test given to newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth to check their heart rate, muscle tone, skin color and other signs to determine if they need medical assistance. It assesses the baby on 5 criteria on a scale of 0-2: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. A score of 7 or above generally indicates the baby is healthy, while a lower score may mean the baby needs help breathing or other care, particularly for babies born under high-risk conditions or prematurely.

    Original Title

    What Is the Apgar Score

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The Apgar score is a test given to newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth to check their heart rate, muscle tone, skin color and other signs to determine if they need medical assistance. It assesses the baby on 5 criteria on a scale of 0-2: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. A score of 7 or above generally indicates the baby is healthy, while a lower score may mean the baby needs help breathing or other care, particularly for babies born under high-risk conditions or prematurely.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    10 views2 pages

    What Is The Apgar Score

    Uploaded by

    geng geng
    The Apgar score is a test given to newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth to check their heart rate, muscle tone, skin color and other signs to determine if they need medical assistance. It assesses the baby on 5 criteria on a scale of 0-2: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. A score of 7 or above generally indicates the baby is healthy, while a lower score may mean the baby needs help breathing or other care, particularly for babies born under high-risk conditions or prematurely.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    What Is the Apgar Score?

    The Apgar score is a test given to newborns soon after birth. This test checks a baby's heart rate,
    muscle tone, and other signs to see if extra medical care or emergency care is needed.

    The test is usually given twice: once at 1 minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth.
    Sometimes, if there are concerns about the baby's condition, the test may be given again.

    What Does "Apgar" Mean?


    Apgar stands for "Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration."

    In the test, five things are used to check a baby's health. Each is scored on a scale of 0 to 2, with 2
    being the best score:

    1. Appearance (skin color)


    2. Pulse (heart rate)
    3. Grimace response (reflexes)
    4. Activity (muscle tone)
    5. Respiration (breathing rate and effort)

    Apgar Scoring
    Apgar Sign          2        1      0
    Normal color all over (hands Normal color (but Bluish-gray or pale all
    Appearance and feet are pink) hands and feet are over
    (skin color) bluish)

    Pulse Normal (above 100 beats per Below 100 beats per Absent
    (heart rate) minute) minute (no pulse)

    Pulls away, sneezes, coughs, Facial movement only Absent (no response
    Grimace or cries with stimulation (grimace) with to stimulation)
    ("reflex irritability") stimulation

    Activity Active, spontaneous Arms and legs flexed No movement,


    (muscle tone) movement with little movement "floppy" tone

    Respiration Normal rate and effort, good Slow or irregular Absent (no breathing)
    (breathing rate and cry breathing, weak cry

    effort)
    What Does My Baby's Score Mean?

    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. Perfectly healthy babies sometimes have a lower-than-usual score,
    especially in the first few minutes after birth.

    A slightly low score (especially at 1 minute) is common, especially in babies born:

     after a high-risk pregnancy


     through a C-section
     after a complicated labor and delivery
     prematurely

    At 5 minutes after birth, the test is given again. If a baby's score was low at first and
    hasn't improved, or there are other concerns, the doctors and nurses will continue any
    necessary medical care. The baby will be monitored closely.

    What if My Baby Has a Low Score?

    Many babies with low scores are perfectly healthy and do just fine after adjusting to life
    outside the womb.

    If your doctor or midwife is concerned about your baby's score, he or she will let you
    know and will explain how your baby is doing, what might be causing problems (if any),
    and what care is being given.

    What Else Do I Need to Know?

    This test was not designed to predict a baby's long-term health, behavior, intelligence,
    personality, or outcome. It was designed to help health care providers tell a newborn's
    overall physical condition so that they could quickly decide whether the baby needed
    immediate medical care.

    With time to adjust to the new environment and with any necessary medical care, most
    babies do very well. So rather than focusing on a number, just enjoy your new baby!

    Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

    You might also like