II. Background

  1. Used only for documentation, not for Resuscitation
  2. See Newborn Resuscitation
  3. Calculate score at 1 and 5 minutes
  4. Calculate score at additional 5 minute intervals
    1. Until APGAR Score exceeds 6

III. Calculation (Maximum of 10 points)

  1. Appearance
    1. Blue: 0
    2. Acrocyanotic: 1
    3. Pink: 2
  2. Pulse
    1. Absent Pulse: 0
    2. Heart Rate under 100 beats per minute: 1
    3. Heart Rate over 100 beats per minute: 2
  3. Grimace (Reflex irritability)
    1. No response: 0
    2. Grimace: 1
    3. Vigorous cough or sneeze: 2
  4. Muscle tone
    1. Limp: 0
    2. Some flexion of extremities: 1
    3. Active motion: 2
  5. Respiratory effort
    1. Respirations Absent: 0
    2. Slow or irregular breaths: 1
    3. Good Respiratory Rate and cry: 2

IV. Interpretation

  1. One minute Apgar (term infants)
    1. Apgar <5: Lower pH and higher PaCO2
    2. Apgar >7: Suggests stable oxygenation and perfusion
  2. Five minute Apgar
    1. Reflects infants changing condition

V. Reference

  1. Apgar (1953) Anesth Analg 32:260

Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)

Related Studies

Ontology: Apgar Score (C0003533)

Definition (NCI) The numerical sum between zero and ten that is computed from individual values of zero to two that are assigned to five different areas of interest in newborn screenings. These areas are breathing, muscle tone, pulse rate, reflex irritability and skin color.
Definition (MSH) A method, developed by Dr. Virginia Apgar, to evaluate a newborn's adjustment to extrauterine life. Five items - heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color - are evaluated 60 seconds after birth and again five minutes later on a scale from 0-2, 0 being the lowest, 2 being normal. The five numbers are added for the Apgar score. A score of 0-3 represents severe distress, 4-7 indicates moderate distress, and a score of 7-10 predicts an absence of difficulty in adjusting to extrauterine life.
Concepts Organism Attribute (T032)
MSH D001034
SnomedCT 29124009, 364593000, 302083008
English Score, Apgar, Apgar Score, Apgar score (physical finding), apgar scores, apgar scoring, apgar score, Apgar score finding (finding), APGAR Score, Apgar score, Observation of Apgar score, Finding of Apgar score (finding), Finding of Apgar score, Apgar score, NOS, Apgar score finding
Italian Punteggio di Apgar, Indice di Apgar
Japanese アプガールスコア, アプガールスコア
Swedish Apgarpoäng
Czech Apgarové skóre, Skóre Apgarové
Finnish Apgarin pisteet
Russian APGAR SHKALA, АПГАР ШКАЛА
French Score d'Apgar, Indice d'Apgar
Spanish puntaje de Apgar - hallazgo, puntaje de Apgar (hallazgo), puntaje de Apgar, score de Apgar, Escala de Apgar, Índice de Apgar, hallazgo del score de Apgar (hallazgo), hallazgo del score de Apgar, hallazgo relacionado con el puntaje de Apgar (hallazgo), hallazgo relacionado con el puntaje de Apgar, Puntuación en el test de Apgar, Puntaje de Apgar
Croatian APGAR-INDEKS
Polish Wskaźnik Apgar, Skala Apgar
Hungarian Apgar érték
Norwegian Apgar score, Apgar-skår
Portuguese Escore de Apgar, Coeficiente de Apgar, Índice de Apgar
Dutch Apgar score, Apgarscore
German APGAR-Schema, Apgar Score, Apgar-Schema, Asphyxieindex, Neugeborenen-

Ontology: apgar (C0741195)

Concepts Diagnostic Procedure (T060)
LNC LP32192-4
English Apgar, apgars, apgar