Dr Virginia Apgar developed the concept in the 1950s. The apgar score assesses the condition of the baby at birth at 1 min, 5 min and 10 min, scoring 0, 1 or 2 depending on the condition of the baby.
The 5 categories that make up the final score are;
- Respiratory effort
- Heart rate
- Colour
- Tone
- Response to stimuli
The Ranges
7-10 = good condition
4-6 = depressed condition requiring some resuscitation
0-3 = severely depressed, requires immediate rescues and possibly ventilation
Here is an example of an apgar score sheet.
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