Apgar Score

Baby's First Year Milestones Slideshow

Medical Author: John Mersch, MD, FAAP
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What is the Apgar score?
• How is the Apgar score done?
• What does a high or low Apgar score mean?
• When is the Apgar scoring done?
• What does a persistently low Apgar score mean?
• Why was the Apgar score developed?

What is the Apgar score?

Ninety percent of term infants make a successful and uneventful transition from living within the womb to the outside world. About 10% will need some medical intervention and approximately 1% will require extensive resuscitation. A reproducible and rapidly determined rating system is necessary for evaluation the newborn infant. The Apgar score is a practical method for assessing a neonate.

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