Question

A newborn is delivered at 28 weeks gestation via section to a 16-year-old G1P0 mother with severe preeclampsia. One minute after delivery the baby is limp and cyanotic with irregular respirations, unresponsive to stimulation, with a pulse of 80. What is the initial Apgar score in this patient?

A. 1
B. 2 136
C. 3
D. 4
E. 5

Answer 1

The initial Apgar score for the described newborn is 2, which includes individual scores of 1 for heart rate and respiration, and 0 for muscle tone, reflex response, and skin color, indicating urgent need for medical assistance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The initial Apgar score for a newborn that is limp and cyanotic with irregular respirations, unresponsive to stimulation, and a pulse of 80 one minute after delivery can be determined based on five criteria: heart rate, respiration, muscle tone, reflex response, and skin color. Each criterion is given a score from 0 to 2. In this scenario, the heart rate scores 1 (since the pulse is less than 100), the baby's irregular respirations also score 1, muscle tone scores 0 because the baby is limp, reflex response scores 0 due to being unresponsive to stimulation, and skin color scores 0 because the baby is cyanotic. By adding these scores together (1+1+0+0+0), the baby's initial Apgar score is 2. An Apgar score of below 7 indicates that medical assistance may be needed, and a score below 5 suggests an emergency situation. Therefore, with an Apgar score of 2, this baby would require immediate medical attention.