Apgar score
Apgar score
The Apgar score was devised in 1952 by the eponymous Dr. Virginia Apgar as a simple and repeatable method to quickly and summarily assess the health of newborn children immediately after birth.[1][2] Apgar was an anesthesiologist who developed the score in order to ascertain the effects of obstetric anesthesia on babies. The Apgar score is determined by evaluating the newborn baby on five simple criteria on a scale from zero to two, then summing up the five values thus obtained. The resulting Apgar score ranges from zero to 10. The five criteria are summarized using words chosen to form a backronym (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration.)
Virginia Apgar
Criteria
Score of 0 Skin color/Complexion blue or pale all over Score of 1 blue at extremities body pink (acrocyanosis) <100 grimace/feeble cry when stimulated some flexion Score of 2 no cyanosis body and extremities pink Component of acronym Appearance
Pulse rate Reflexirritability
Absent no response to stimulation none
100
Pulse
cry or pull away when stimulated Grimace
Muscle tone
flexed arms and legs that resist extension strong, lusty cry
Activity
Breathing
absent
weak, irregular, gasping
+ The five criteria of the Apgar score:
Apgar score
Interpretation of scores
The test is generally done at one and five minutes after birth, and may be repeated later if the score is and remains low. Scores 3 and below are generally regarded as critically low, 4 to 6 fairly low, and 7 to 10 generally normal. A low score on the one-minute test may show that the neonate requires medical attention[3] but is not necessarily an indication that there will be long-term problems, particularly if there is an improvement by the stage of the five-minute test. If the Apgar score remains below 3 at later times such as 10, 15, or 30 minutes, there is a risk that the child will suffer longer-term neurological damage. There is also a Mind map showing summary for the Apgar score small but significant increase of the risk of cerebral palsy. However, the purpose of the Apgar test is to determine quickly whether a newborn needs immediate medical care; it was not designed to make long-term predictions on a child's health.[1] A score of 10 is uncommon due to the prevalence of transient cyanosis, and is not substantially different from a score of 9. Transient cyanosis is common, particularly in babies born at high altitude. A study comparing babies born in Peru near sea level with babies born at very high altitude (4340 m) found a significant difference in the first but not the second Apgar score. Oxygen saturation (see Pulse oximetry) also was lower at high altitude.[4]
Backronym
Some ten years after the initial publication, a backronym for APGAR was coined in the US as a mnemonic learning aid: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration. In German, the words Atmung, Puls, Grundtonus, Aussehen, Reflexe were used; in Spanish, Apariencia, Pulso, Gesticulacin, Actividad, Respiracin; and, in French, Apparence, Pouls, Grimace, Activit, Respiration. Another case where Dr. Apgar's name is eponymous for a backronym is American Pediatric Gross Assessment Record. Another mnemonic devised for the test is to use the phrase How Ready Is This Child, which summarizes the test criteria as Heart rate, Respiratory effort, Irritability, Tone, and Color.
Apgar score
References
[1] Apgar, Virginia (1953). "A proposal for a new method of evaluation of the newborn infant" (http:/ / apgar. net/ virginia/ Apgar_Paper. html). Curr. Res. Anesth. Analg. 32 (4): 260267. PMID13083014. . [2] Finster M; Wood M. (April 2005). "The Apgar score has survived the test of time". Anesthesiology 102 (4): 855857. doi:10.1097/00000542-200504000-00022. PMID15791116. [3] Casey BM; McIntire DD, Leveno KJ (February 15, 2001). "The continuing value of the Apgar score for the assessment of newborn infants". N Engl J Med. 344 (7): 467471. doi:10.1056/NEJM200102153440701. PMID11172187. [4] Gonzales GF, Salirrosas A (2005). "Arterial oxygen saturation in healthy newborns delivered at term in Cerro de Pasco (4340 m) and Lima (150 m)". Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology : RB&E 3: 46. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-3-46. PMC1215518 The apgar score can also be used to indicate the future health prospects of a noenate. It has been suggested that the apgar score and mental capacity are directly proportional. A neonate with a higher apgar score will often benefit from an enhanced educational ability.. PMID16156890.
Article Sources and Contributors
Article Sources and Contributors
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
Image:Virginia Apgar.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Virginia_Apgar.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Al Ravenna image:Apgar score.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Apgar_score.png License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Madhero88
License
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