7/2/2023 0 Comments Apgar score of 6A score of 6 or below could mean a newborn needed medical intervention such as breathing stimulation, temperature normalization, or even chest compressions. By creating an organized method to evaluate neonates by, the APGAR score helped physicians and nurses rapidly assess the need for resuscitation efforts. Apgar, an anesthesiologist, was particularly concerned with finding a way to reduce instances of neonatal respiratory difficulty because she was aware that anesthetic agents, often depressants, affected the baby as well as the mother. Though infant mortality rates in general had been steadily declining since the 1900s, mortality rates specifically for newborns (also called neonates) were still high. Its name works as both an acknowledgement to its creator and as an acronym to describe components of the score: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. The APGAR score, although seemingly simple, has had a huge impact on the way physicians care for newborns. Reproduced with permission of the March of Dimes Virginia Apgar Demonstrating Apgar Score, 1959 In the 1950s, she developed a scoring system that would help save lives for generations-including my own. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 1929, Apgar began her medical training at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she worked for decades within the field of anesthesiology which she helped to found. By high school, she was determined to pursue a medical career. The day my mother held me in her arms for the first time, weeks after we both recovered, may not have been possible without the APGAR score or its creator.īorn in Westfield, New Jersey, in 1909, Apgar’s early interest in science and medicine is believed to be inspired by her father, an amateur inventor. I was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) while my mother was treated for her postpartum hemorrhaging. Developed by the American physician, Virginia Apgar, the APGAR score helped save my life by alerting physicians to my need for immediate medical care. While physicians were trying to stop my mother’s blood loss, they were also evaluating newborn me, with a tool that I can partially thank for the miracle of my life: the APGAR score. A score below 7 in the second test is considered low and will be followed by additional monitoring, possible resuscitation if required and any treatment or care that is needed.When I consider that I was once a sickly, premature baby brought into this world while my mother was on the verge of death, it seems incredible that we both survived. A score of 6 or less at one minute and 7 or more at five minutes is also considered normal. To determine the state of your baby’s wellbeing, the doctor, midwife or nurse will observe the following characteristics:Įach characteristic is given a rating from 0-2, with 2 being optimum, providing a total Apgar score out of 10. It also provides a baseline for their examinations in the following hours and days. The Apgar is a numerical score that helps medical professionals to determine whether a baby needs medical assistance. It is performed twice, first at one minute after birth and again at five minutes. Every newborn is given the Apgar score which is a technique used by a midwife or doctor to assess the condition of your baby’s health immediately after birth.
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