The Apgar score. Scopes

The Apgar score provides an accepted and convenient method of reporting the newborn's status immediately after birth and the response to resuscitation if necessary. The Apgar score alone cannot be considered unequivocal evidence of perinatal asphyxia; it does not predict individual neonatal mortality or neurological outcome; and should not therefore be used for those purposes. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists encourage the use of an expanded Apgar score report form that aggregates concurrent resuscitation interventions. one

Components of the Apgar score at 5 minutes: risks and prediction of neonatal mortality

The Apgar score consists of five components: heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color. Although the Apgar score has been used for 60 years, the specific contribution of the components of the Apgar score with respect to the risks and prediction of neonatal mortality remains unknown. Similarly, the value of reduced scores (less than five score) has rarely been investigated. two
A reduced Apgar score generally has the same predictability of neonatal mortality as the full Apgar score. The full Apgar score or reduced scores may be better predictors of neonatal mortality in very preterm infants (≤31 weeks) than in infants with higher gestations. two

Bibliography

1- AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS COMMITTEE ON FETUS AND NEWBORN; AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS COMMITTEE ON OBSTETRIC PRACTICE. The Apgar Score. Pediatrics. 2015 Oct; 136 (4): 819-22. doi: 10.1542 / peds.2015-2651.
2- Cnattingius S, Norman M, Granath F, Petersson G, Stephansson O, Frisell T. Apgar Score Components at 5 Minutes: Risks and Prediction of Neonatal Mortality. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2017 Jul; 31 (4): 328-337. doi: 10.1111 / ppe.12360. Epub 2017 May 11.