Question

At 1 minute post-delivery, a newborn has blue extremities with a pink body, heart rate is 90/min, respiratory rate is 20/min with a weak cry, cough reflex is present, and there is some flexion of the extremities. At 5 minutes post-delivery, the infant is completely pink, heart rate is 140/min, respiratory rate is 40/min, cough reflex is present, and the baby is active with a strong cry. What APGAR scores should be assigned?

Answer 1

The newborn's APGAR score at 1 minute post-delivery is 6, indicating the baby is in fairly good condition but may need some additional medical attention. By 5 minutes post-delivery, the newborn's APGAR score has increased to 10, suggesting the baby has made a good transition from the womb to the outside world.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assigning APGAR scores, a newborn’s condition is assessed based on five criteria — appearance (skin color), pulse (heart rate), grimace (reflex), activity (muscle tone), and respiration. At 1 minute post-delivery, the newborn would get the following scores:

• Appearance: 1 (blue extremities, pink body)
• Pulse: 1 (heart rate of 90/min)
• Grimace: 2 (cough reflex present)
• Activity: 1 (some flexion of extremities)
• Respiration: 1 (respiratory rate is 20/min with a weak cry)

Total score at 1 minute: 6.

At 5 minutes post-delivery, the APGAR scores would be:

• Appearance: 2 (completely pink)
• Pulse: 2 (heart rate of 140/min)
• Grimace: 2 (cough reflex present)
• Activity: 2 (baby is active)
• Respiration: 2 (respiratory rate is 40/min with a strong cry)

Total score at 5 minutes: 10.