The APGAR test is a test performed on a newborn baby immediately after birth which is used to assess the baby’s general condition and health.http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/apgartest.html The APGAR test is performed twice: one minute after birth and again at five minutes after birth.http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-apgar-score_3074.bc Every baby born in U.S. hospitals is given this test, and a low score at either assessment will alert medical personnel to the need for additional care, sometimes acute.http://kidshealth.org/parent/newborn/first_days/apgar.html

The APGAR test was named after Virginia Apgar, the obstetric anesthesiologist who developed the scoring system in 1952.http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/apgartest.html The name APGAR is a mnemonic device, the initials standing for the five areas of function which are observed: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration.(Activity and appearance are sometimes reversed in the acronym, though this has no bearing on the actual score.)http://kidshealth.org/parent/newborn/first_days/apgar.html While the test yields a good amount of information to medical personnel, it is completely noninvasive and carries no risk to the baby.http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/apgar/overview.html

An APGAR score ranges from 0-10 and reflects the sum of five scores the baby has been given in the five areas of observation.http://kidshealth.org/parent/newborn/first_days/apgar.html# Generally, a score of 8 or 9 tells doctors that a baby is doing well and is not in need of assistance.http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/apgar/overview.html Scores below 8 mean a newborn needs some help, with scores under 5 a cause for immediate care.http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/apgar/overview.html Babies, no matter how healthy, rarely receive a perfect score on the APGAR test, because it is normal for babies to be born with extremities that are blue tinged as they make the transition from receiving oxygen from the placenta to breathing.http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/apgar/overview.html

When performing the test, the doctor or midwife assesses the baby and gives a score from 0-2 in each of the following areas:

1. Activity
   • 0 - Limp, no activity
   • 1 - Some movement of the arms and legs
   • 2 - Baby is actively moving
2. Pulse
   • 0 - No pulse
   • 1 - Fewer than 100 beats per minute
   • 2 - 100 or more beats per minute
3. Grimace
   • 0 - No response to suctioning
   • 1 - Grimace response to suctioning
   • 2 - Grimace and pulling away, coughing upon suctioning
4. Appearance
   • 0 - Blue, gray, or pale coloring throughout the body
   • 1 - Blue or gray extremities and pink body
   • 2 - Pink color throughout the body
5. Respiration
   • 0 - Baby is not breathing
   • 1 - Some breathing, whimpering, irregular respirations
   • 2 - Strong crying, normal breathinghttp://www.babycenter.com/0_the-apgar-score_3074.bc

Babies may receive a low APGAR score at one minute but improve by five minutes, requiring no further assistance.http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/apgar/overview.html While the APGAR test allows care providers to assess a baby's immediate medical needs, if any, an APGAR score is not a predictor of future health.http://kidshealth.org/parent/newborn/first_days/apgar.html#

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact a doctor before using the information presented here.