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APGAR Scores for Newborns In 1953, American anesthesiologist, Virginia Apgar, published her new method for evaluating the newborn infant. This scoring system which became known as the APGAR scale later evolved into the standard for medical practice. Dr. Apgar was one of Columbia University’s first female MDs and one of America’s first women to specialize in surgery. Although Apgar had achieved many high honors, as a surgeon, she was unable to break the “glass ceiling” that was held in place by the medical bureaucracy of the day. Instead, she switched her focus to the fledgling field of anesthesiology which she developed into a separate medical discipline. While at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, Apgar soon recognized the need for improved maternal and infant care as births increased with the “Baby Boom” years. Dr Apgar devised the score as a systematic and measurable method to access the newborn in the crucial minutes after birth. Care providers now had a common language with which to evaluate the newborn’s condition and identify infants who needed to be monitored or required immediate resuscitation. The test is administered at one minute and five minutes after birth. If there are problems with the infant, an additional score may be repeated at a 10-minute interval. For a Cesarean section the baby is additionally assessed at 15 minutes after delivery. The chart below displays the criteria used in the APGAR scale.
After the infant is examined, the scores are totaled. A score of 7-10 is considered normal. A newborn with a score of 4-7 may require additional resuscitative measures while a score of 3 and below necessitates immediate medical attention. It is important to remember that the APGAR score is strictly used to determine the newborn’s immediate condition at birth and does not necessarily reflect the future health of your baby. |
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