What is the Apgar score?
The Apgar score is a clinical vitality rating scale applied to newborn infants in an attempt to identify those at risk for certain neonatal complications.
Apgar is an eponym (Virginia Apgar, US obstetrical anesthesiologist), although it is often used as an acronym
| Sign | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Appearance (color) | Blue, pale | Acrocyanosis | Pink |
| P | Pulse (heart rate) | Absent | <100 | >100 |
| G | Grimace (reflex irritability in response to nasal suctioning) | No response | Grimace | Cry |
| A | Activity (muscle tone) | Limp | Some flexion | Active motion |
| R | Respiration (respiratory effort) | Absent | Slow and irregular | Strong crying |
Infants are routinely scored at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Further scores may be made at 10 and 20 minutes if the infant appears to have been compromised.
