A score is given for each sign at 1 and 5 minutes after the birth.
If there are problems with the baby an additional scores are given at 10 and 15 minutes.
A score of 7-10 is considered normal, while 4-7 might require some resuscitative measures,
and a baby with apgars of 3 and below requires immediate resuscitation.
|
 |
Sign |
0 Points |
1 Point |
2 Points |
A |
Activity
(Muscle Tone) |
No movement, "floppy" tone |
Arms and Legs Flexed |
Active Movement |
P |
Pulse
(heart rate) |
Absent
(no pulse) |
Below 100 bpm |
Normal
(above 100 beats per minute) |
G |
Grimace
(Reflex Irritability) |
No Response |
Grimace |
Pulls away, sneezes, or coughs with stimulation |
A |
Appearance
(Skin Color) |
Blue-gray, pale all over |
Normal, except for extremities |
Normal color all over
(hands and feet are pink) |
R |
Respiration
(breathing rate and effort) |
Absent |
Slow, irregular |
Normal rate and effort |
The very first test given to a newborn, the Apgar score is given just after the baby's birth. The test was designed to quickly evaluate a newborn's physical condition after delivery and to determine the need for immediate emergency or extra care.
The Apgar score was designed in 1952 by an anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar, it is also referred to as an acronym for:
Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration (APGAR).
The Apgar test is usually given to your baby twice at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. If there are serious problems with the baby's condition and the first two scores are low, the test may be scored agan at 10 and 15 minutes after birth.
Five signs are used to evaluate the baby's condition and each is scored on a scale of 0 to 2:
- Activity and muscle tone
- Pulse (heart rate)
- Grimace response (medically known as "reflex irritability")
- Appearance (skin coloration)
- Respiration (breathing rate and effort)
These five factors are added together to calculate the Apgar score. Scores possible are between 0 and 10, with 10 being the highest score which is rarely attained.