Diseases

The Apgar score is a number calculated by scoring the heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, skin color, and reflex irritability (response to a catheter in the nostril). Each of these objective signs can receive 0, 1, or 2 points.

A perfect Apgar score of 10 means an infant is in the best possible condition. An infant with an Apgar score of 0-3 needs immediate resuscitation. It is important to note that diligent care of the newborn is an immediate response to the current status of the infant. It is inappropriate to wait until Apgar scores are obtained to begin or continue to address the needs of the neonate.

The persistence of low (0-3) Apgar scores at 20 minutes of age is predictive of high rates of morbidity (disease) and mortality (death). In term infants, the five-minute Apgar score is predictive of mortality but is not as precise a predictor for neurologic and developmental disabilities. In high-risk (prematurity, low birth weight, etc.) infants, Apgar scores are less sensitive regarding long- term predictions of mental and neurological health.

Most term infants make a successful and uneventful transition from living within the womb to the outside world. Some will need some medical intervention, and very few will require extensive resuscitation. A reproducible and rapidly determined rating system is necessary for evaluation of the condition of the newborn infant. The Apgar score is a practical method for assessing a neonate.

The Apgar score is done routinely 60 seconds after the birth of the infant and then is repeated five minutes after birth.In the event of a difficult resuscitation, the Apgar score may be done again at 10, 15, and 20 minutes.

The score is named for the preeminent American anesthesiologist Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909-1974), who invented the scoring method in 1952. Having assisted at thousands of deliveries, Dr. Apgar wished to focus attention on the baby. Babies were traditionally dispatched directly to the nursery, often without much formal scrutiny after delivery. Apgar wanted the baby to be assessed in an organized, meaningful manner by the delivery-room personnel. Dr. Apgar was the first woman to be appointed a full professor at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons.