Virginia Apgar worked as an obstetrical anesthesiologist, administering drugs that reduce women's pain during childbirth, in the mid-twentieth century US. In 1953, Apgar created a scoring system using five easily assessable measurements, including heart rate and breathing rate, to evaluate whether or not infants would benefit from medical attention immediately after birth. Apgar's system showed...

OBJECTIVES Assessing the value of the Combined-Apgar score in predicting neonatal mortality and morbidity compared to the Conventional-Apgar. METHODS This prospective cohort study evaluated 942 neonates (166 very preterm, 233 near term, and 543 term) admitted to a tertiary referral hospital. At 1- and 5-minutes after delivery, the Conventional and Combined Apgar scores were recorded. The neon...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and glucose intolerance, and its impact on pregnant women and their newborns. METHODS A cohort of pregnant women were divided into three groups: women with gestational diabetes mellitus, ones with normal results both after the 50 gr and 100 gr OGTT (CG-1) and ones having a positive result after the 50 gr OGTT screenin...

OBJECTIVES To compare the Conventional, Specified, Expanded and Combined Apgar scoring systems in predicting birth asphyxia and the adverse early neurologic outcomes. METHODS This prospective cohort study was conducted on 464 admitted neonates. In the delivery room, after delivery the umbilical cord was double clamped and a blood samples was obtained from the umbilical artery for blood gas an...

BACKGROUND Birth asphyxia contributes significantly to perinatal morbidity and mortality especially in resource poor countries. Although the Apgar score has been in use for over 50 years, the prevalence of low Apgar score and attendant risk factors and outcome have not been established in many sub-Saharan countries including Uganda. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of low Apgar score and...

BACKGROUND The Apgar score is used worldwide for assessing the clinical condition and short-term prognosis of newborn infants. Evidence for a relationship with long-term educational outcomes is conflicting. We investigated whether Apgar score at 5 min after birth was associated with additional support needs (ASN) and educational attainment. METHODS Data on pregnancy, delivery and later educat...

BACKGROUND Apgar score is used for rapid assessment of newborns. Low five-minute Apgar score has been associated with increased risk of severe neurologic outcome, but data on milder outcomes, particularly in the long term, are limited. We aimed to examine the association of five-minute Apgar score with prevalence of neurologic disability and with cognitive function in early adulthood. METHODS...

Apgar score was devised with the aim to standardize the assessment of newborns. It has been used worldwide to evaluate infants' condition immediately after birth, to determine their need for resuscitation, and to evaluate the effectiveness of resuscitation. Apgar score was never intended for prediction of outcome beyond the immediate postnatal period; however, since low scores correlate with pr...