Apgar score (redirected from Apgar Score System)

score (skor) a rating, usually expressed numerically, based on specific achievement or the degree to which certain qualities or conditions are present.

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APACHE score  [a cute p hysiological a ssessment and c hronic h ealth e valuation] a widely-used method for assessing severity of illness in acutely ill patients in intensive care units, taking into account a variety of routine physiological parameters.

Apgar score  a numerical expression of an infant's condition, usually determined at 60 seconds after birth, based on heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color.

Bishop score  a score for estimating the prospects of induction of labor, arrived at by evaluating the extent of cervical dilatation, effacement, the station of the fetal head, consistency of the cervix, and the cervical position in relation to the vaginal axis.

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Ap·gar score (pgär)

n.

A system of evaluating a newborn's physical condition by assigning a value (0, 1, or 2) to each of five criteria: heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, response to stimuli, and skin color.

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Apgar score

[ap′gär]

Etymology: Virginia Apgar, American anesthesiologist, 1909-1974

an evaluation of a newborn's physical condition, usually performed 1 minute and again 5 minutes after birth, based on a rating of five factors that reflect the infant's ability to adjust to extrauterine life. The system rapidly identifies infants requiring immediate intervention or transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit.

method The infant's heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color are scored from a low value of 0 to a normal value of 2. The five scores are combined, and the totals at 1 minute and 5 minutes are noted; for example, Apgar 9/10 is a score of 9 at 1 minute and 10 at 5 minutes.

nursing considerations A low 1-minute score requires immediate intervention, including administration of oxygen, clearing of the nasopharynx, and usually transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit. A baby with a low score that persists at 5 minutes requires expert care, which may include assisted ventilation, umbilical catheterization, cardiac massage, blood gas analysis, correction of acid-base deficit, or medication to reverse the effects of maternal medication.

outcome criteria A score of 0 to 3 represents severe distress, a score of 4 to 7 indicates moderate distress, and a score of 7 to 10 indicates an absence of difficulty in adjusting to extrauterine life. The 5-minute total score is normally higher than the 1-minute score. Because a normal, vigorous, healthy newborn almost always has bluish hands and feet at 1 minute, the first score for color will include a 1 rather than a perfect 2; however, at 5 minutes the blueness may have passed, and a score of 2 may be given. A 5-minute overall score of 0 to 1 correlates with a 50% neonatal mortality rate; infants who survive exhibit three times as many neurologic abnormalities at 1 year of age as do children with a 5-minute score of 7 or more.

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APGAR score

Neonatology, obstetrics A bedside test for evaluating a neonate's post-partum status and potential for survival, based on an acronym of Virginia Apgar's name; the higher the score, the better the infant will fare during the neonatal period

Apgar score

Appearance

Color–0 for blue, 2 for pink

Pulse

Heart rate–0 for none, 1 for <100/min, 2 for > 100/min

Grimace

Reflex–0 for none, 1 for grimace, 2 for cough/sneeze

Activity

Muscle tone–0 for limp, 2 for full flexion

Respiratory effort

0 for absent, 2 for strong crying