Apgar Scale

The appearance of a new person is a complex and mysterious process. It is very important to do everything right and not to hurt the baby. In order to properly care for the newborn or to provide the necessary help, we must adequately assess his condition in the first minutes after birth. For this, the Apgar scale is used. The professionalism of doctors, in this case, is of great importance, because the level of this assessment determines the behavior of medical staff in the future.

The Apgar scale indicates the level of a child's physical health at birth. It was designed by the American physician Virginia Apgar. This system was supposed to simplify and speed up the work of doctors and nurses. Through the examination, the child is given specific scores, summing up which, the doctor determines how much the newborn is healthy, and whether special care is required.

The Apgar scale suggests studying such indicators as:

1. Heart rate.
2. Breath.
3. Muscle tone.
4. Reflexes and skin color.

Each score can be assigned scores from 0 to 2. Thus, the highest score will be 10. However, this ideal state is not common. Evaluation is exhibited twice: in the first seconds of life and after five minutes. In this regard, two estimates are written. It looks like this - Apgar scale 7/8. The first digit should be lower than the second. This indicates improvement. In the event that the indicator looks like the Apgar 8/8 scale, it is also not worth worrying - these are quite high marks.

What does each of the indicators mean:

1. Palpitation. In newborns, the heart beats with a frequency of 140 beats per minute. If this figure is above 100, then 2 points are assigned. If the baby breathes more slowly, the heartbeat is slow - 1 point. If there is no pulse, 0 points.
2. Breath. In a minute the newborn makes 40-45 respiratory movements and loudly screams. In this case, 2 points are put. If the child does not cry, but cries, breathes slowly - 1 point, does not make any sounds - 0 points.
3. Muscle tone. Newborns usually have increased muscle tone. After leaving the mother's womb and gaining freedom, the baby begins to actively move. This condition is estimated at 2 points. If the knobs and legs remain bent and the movements are sluggish, then 1 point is put, it does not move at all - 0 points.
4. Reflexes. In the first seconds after birth, the little man is already working unconditioned reflexes: screaming, breathing. If they are - 2 points. If reflexes appeared after medical manipulation - 1 point. Reflexes absent - 0 points.
5. Color of the skin. In newborns, it should be pale or bright pink. This indicates a good circulation of blood. The doctor examines the palms, lips, mucous, feet. If there is a bluish color - 1 point. When the body is pale - 0 points.

Depending on the total amount of points, the state can be estimated as follows:

7-10 - good condition, the child can be observed in normal mode.

5-6 - deviations, which require any resuscitation procedures.

3-4 - the average deviation.

0-2 - serious deviations, the child needs emergency medical care.

The Apgar scale provides a very accurate and accurate assessment of health, provided that the examination is done very quickly. A lot depends on this. First of all, the life of the child.