Apgar Score - Symptom, Causes, Treatment of Apgar Score

Apgar score is a practical method for assessing a newborn infant. The baby's colour, heart rate, breathing, reflex responses and muscle tone are assessed at exactly 1 and 5 minutes after delivery and each is given a score between o and 2, making a possible score of 10. Apgar scores are not actually predictive of problems. If the

Apgar score at twenty minutes after delivery is less than five, there is still only a 20% chance of a handicapping condition. The lower the score, the more serious the baby's condition and the more urgent the need for resuscitatian, or appropriate medical help. The Apgar score is done routinely 60 seconds after the birth of the infant and then it is commonly repeated 5 minutes after birth.

Five factors are used to evaluate the baby's condition and each factor is scored on a scale of 0 to 2:

• heart rate (pulse)
• breathing (rate and effort)
• activity and muscle tone
• grimace response (medically known as "reflex irritability")
• appearance (skin coloration)

Apgar Score Sign and Symptoms

Here is the list of some of the common sign and symptoms of apgar score disease in baby. If your baby's Apgar scores are between 5 and 7 at one minute, she may have experienced some problems during birth that lowered the oxygen in her blood. In this case, the staff will probably dry her vigorously with a towel while oxygen is held under her nose. This should start her breathing deeply and improve her oxygen supply so that her five-minute Apgar scores total between 8 and 10.

How the test is performed

Five categories are assessed:

• Heart rate
• Respiratory effort
• Muscle tone
• Reflex irritability
• Color

Each of these categories is scored with 0, 1 or 2, depending on the observed condition of the newborn.

• 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.
  If heart rate is greater than 100 beats per minute, the infant scores 2 for heart rate.
• Respiratory effort:
  If there are no respirations, the infant scores 0 for respiratory effort.
  If the respirations are slow or irregular, the infant scores 1 for respiratory effort.
  If there is good crying, the infant scores 2 for respiratory effort.
• Muscle tone:
  If the muscle tone is flaccid, the infant scores 0 for muscle tone.
  If there is some flexion of the extremities, the infant scores 1 for muscle tone.
  If there is active motion, the infant scores 2 for muscle tone.
• Reflex irritability is a term describing the level of newborn irritation in response to stimuli (such as a mild pinch):
  If there is no reaction, the infant scores 0 for reflex irritability.
  If there is grimacing, the infant scores 1 for reflex irritability.
  If there is grimacing and a cough, sneeze or a vigorous cry, the infant scores 2 for reflex irritability.
• Color:
  If the color is pale blue, the infant scores 0 for color.
  If the body is pink and the extremities are blue, the infant scores 1 for color.
  If the entire body is pink, the infant scores 2 for color.

What does a high or low Apgar score mean?

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. Lower Apgar scores are also seen in healthy premature babies, who usually have less muscle tone than full-term newborns and who, in many cases, will require extra monitoring and breathing assistance because of their immature lungs. Any score lower than 8 indicates your child needs assistance stabilizing. A low score at 1 minute that normalizes by 5 minutes has not been associated with any long-term negative effects.

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