- Apgar score
The Apgar score was devised in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar as a simple and repeatable method to quickly and summarily assess the health of
newborn children immediately afterchildbirth . [cite journal
last = Apgar
first = Virginia
url = http://apgar.net/virginia/Apgar_Paper.html
title = A proposal for a new method of evaluation of the newborn infant
journal = Curr. Res. Anesth. Analg.
year = 1953
volume = 32
issue = 4
pages = 260–267
pmid = 13083014] [cite journal
author = Finster M
coauthors = Wood M.
title = The Apgar score has survived the test of time
journal = Anesthesiology
year = 2005
month = April
volume = 102
issue = 4
pages = 855–857
pmid = 15791116doi = 10.1097/00000542-200504000-00022] Apgar was an
anesthesiologist who developed the score in order to ascertain the effects of obstetricanesthesia onneonates .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 (Appearance, Pulse,Grimace, Activity, Respiration) are used as a
mnemonic learning aid.Criteria
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 [cite journal
author = Casey BM
coauthors = McIntire DD, Leveno KJ
title = The continuing value of the Apgar score for the assessment of newborn infants
journal = N Engl J Med.
date =February 15 ,2001
volume = 344
issue = 7
pages = 467–471
pmid = 11172187doi = 10.1056/NEJM200102153440701] 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 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.Contrary to common belief, the Apgar score is no longer used to decide if a neonate requires resuscitation. That decision is based on emergency assessment of airway, breathing, and circulation ("ABC").
Acronym
Some ten years after the initial publication, the acronym 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. The mnemonic was introduced in 1963 by thepediatrician Dr.Joseph Butterfield . The same acronym is used in German ("Atmung, Puls, Grundtonus, Aussehen, Reflexe"), Spanish ("Apariencia, Pulso, Gesticulación, Actividad, Respiración") and French ("A"pparence, "P"ouls, "G"rimace, "A"ctivité et "R"espiration) although the letters have different meanings.Another such
backformation attempting to make "Apgar" an acronym is American Pediatric Gross Assessment Record. The test, however, is named for Dr. Apgar, making "Apgar" aneponymous backronym .The test has also been reformulated with a different mnemonic, How Ready Is This Child, but the criteria are essentially the same: Heart rate, Respiratory effort, Irritabililty, Tone, and Color.
ee also
*
Glasgow Coma Scale
*Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
