The Apgar scale is a measure for evaluating the condition of a newborn baby. The five test criteria Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration form an acronym named after Virginia Apgar who first introduced this type of testing on newborns in 1953.
The five categories in the Apgar Scale (or Apgar Test) are evaluated
using the following criteria:
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SIGN POINTS
0 1 2
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Appearance* Pale or Blue Body pink: Pink
(color) extremities blue
Pulse Not detectable Below 100 Over 100
(heartbeat)
Grimace No response to Grimace Lusty cry
(reflex irritability) stimulation
Activity Flaccid Some movement A lot of
(muscle tone) (no or weak activity) of extremities activity
Respiration None Slow, irregular Good
(breathing) (crying)
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*In non-white children, color of mucus membranes of mouth, of the
whites of the eyes, of lips, palms, hands and soles of feet will be
examined.
Babies whose score is between 7 and 10 are considered to be in good
condition. Those scoring between 4 and 6 are in fair condition and may
require extra attention. Those with a score below 4 are in poor
condition and probably will need immediate life-saving efforts.