Apgar Test For Babies: Method Of Administration And Criteria
The Apgar test is a test that is administered to babies who have just been born. It consists of evaluating your physical condition in five major areas to determine if you need medical assistance.
In this article we will describe the five criteria of the Apgar test and its method of administration It should be kept in mind that, although it is a useful test, its results are superficial and it is important to complement them with other more in-depth examinations.
It is very common for evaluation tests to be performed shortly after birth to check if the baby reacts normally to different types of stimulation and if its nervous system is functioning correctly.
The Apgar test is one of the most popular neonatal screening methods It consists of observing five functions or characteristics of the baby that are relevant at an informative level: skin color, heart rate, reflex irritability, muscle tone and breathing. The name comes from its creator, the obstetric anesthetist Virginia Apgar.
The objective of this test is to determine the degree of perinatal stress suffered by the baby in order to assess whether it needs medical assistance or can survive without external help, taking these five criteria as a basic reference.
Other tests used to evaluate the condition of neonates are the Prechtl test, which also evaluates posture, spontaneous movements or facial expressions, and Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale whose criteria include social interaction, muscular capacity, alertness control, and physiological response to tension.
The Apgar test is administered by medical or nursing personnel one minute after birth, and It happens again five minutes after delivery In this way, a general and quick idea of the baby’s condition can be obtained, although the information provided by this exam is limited since it only detects obvious complications.
The five variables that we have mentioned (and that we will describe in detail in the following section) are scored from 0 to 2; While the minimum rating is an indication of the existence of very serious problems in that area, the 2 indicates normal and healthy functioning.
Since there are five criteria that can be scored with a maximum of 2, The final result will always be between 0 and 10 The higher the overall score, the better the baby’s physical condition; If it is less than 4, the child will require urgent medical attention, while if it is between 4 and 7, a more detailed evaluation will have to be done.
Apgar Test Criteria
The areas analyzed by the Apgar test constitute a representative sample of the basic physiological responses of newborns. Although the scores in each criterion are added to obtain an overall assessment, a 0 or even a 1 in any of the variables can be important warning signs that the child has physical problems.
The term “Apgar” is an acronym for the criteria in English, the original language of the test, although it can also be obtained with an approximate translation in Spanish: A for appearance (or “appearance”), P for pulse (“pulse”), G for gesticulation (“grimace”, which literally means “grimace”), A for activity (“activity”) and R for respiration (“respiration”).
The “appearance” criterion refers to the color of the baby’s skin. Normal tone is scored 2; A bluish color on the extremities will be valued with a 1, while if the entire body has a pale and blue appearance the result will be 0.
2. Heart rate (Pulse)
Heart rate is evaluated using a stethoscope. The heart rate is considered adequate when it exceeds 100 beats per minute ; 1 is given when the rate is lower, while 0 is reserved for cases in which no cardiac activity is detected.
3. Reflex irritability (Gesticulation)
The reflex irritability criterion (“gesticulation” in the acronym) measures the baby’s response to annoying physical stimuli, such as a pinch. 0 indicates an absence of reflex irritability, 1 the presence of weak gestures, such as frowning or crying a little, and 2 encompasses forceful responses such as coughing, sneezing or crying loudly.
4. Muscle tone (Activity)
In this case a score of 2 is given when muscle tone is high and the baby moves actively A 1 means that muscular activity is weak, and a 0 means that the muscular system is in a state of flaccidity and laxity.
5. Respiratory effort (Breath)
A score of 2 on this criterion indicates that the baby cries normally. If her breathing is slow or irregular she will be assigned a 1, while a 0 means she is not breathing on her own.
