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The concept of the APGAR test is related to the concept of the Neonatal environment. When a baby comes out of the womb of its mother, it experiences a different environment. Previously all the requirements of the baby were fulfilled by the mother. However, after being born it has to adapt to survive in the new environment. The level up to which the infant can adapt to the new environment is important for its survival. The life of a newborn from birth up to the age of 4 weeks is known as the neonatal period. The parents need to provide the baby with proper care during this period to ensure its healthy development. In this context, the APGAR test is necessary which is given to a newly born baby for evaluating its health and other aspects.
APGAR test
APGAR test definition can be given as a process that is used by doctors for evaluating the health of newborns at 1 minute and 5 minutes after they have been born. Dr. APGAR first developed this method and nowadays it is considered as a standardised method for evaluating newborns after their birth. Dr. APGAR, an anesthesiologist at the University of Columbia, developed this method in 1952 and it is still used in modern times for evaluating infants. However, it should be mentioned that the process of implementation of the APGAR test has evolved significantly over time. This test is performed at one minute and five minutes after the baby is born and specifically helps in evaluating five criteria of the newborn baby. The five criteria that are mainly evaluated include the baby’s heart rate, colour, respiration, muscle tone, and reflexes. The babies are given a particular score from 0 – 2 for each criterion.
Importance of the APGAR test
As mentioned previously the APGAR test is done at one minute and at five minutes after the baby is born. The APGAR test at one minute after the baby’s birth helps in providing data about the physical health of the baby thereby allowing the doctor to determine whether immediate medical treatment is needed for the baby. On the contrary, the APGAR test at five minutes after the baby is born helps the doctor to measure the baby’s response to earlier attempts of resuscitation (if attempts were done).
Meaning of the APGAR scores
As discussed previously, the APGAR tests involve the testing of five aspects of a newborn baby and each aspect is given a score ranging from 0 – 2. This means that the outcome can range between. The five criteria within the APGAR test and the meaning of the scores in each of them have been outlined in the following.
Respiration
- A score of zero means that the newborn is not breathing
- A score of one implies that the newborn has a weak cry with a grunting or whimpering sound
- A score of two implies that the infant has a strong or good cry.
Reflex Response
- A score of zero, during the reflexes APGAR test, implies that the baby does not respond to stimulation of airways.
- A score of one, during the reflexes APGAR test, implies that the baby grimaces on stimulation.
- A score of two, during the reflexes APGAR test, implies that the baby grimaces, sneezes, or coughs on stimulation
Heart rate
- A score of zero means that the newborn doesn’t have a heart rate.
- A score of one means that the newborn baby’s heartbeats 100 times in a minute and is not very responsive.
- A score of two means that the newborn baby’s heart beats more than 100 times within a minute indicating the vigorous nature of the baby.
Colour
- A score of zero means that the newborn baby’s entire body is pale or blue.
- A score of one means that the newborn has good color throughout the body but has blue feet or hands.
- A score of two means that the newborn is completely pink.
Muscle Tone
- Score zero means the newborn is limp.
- Score one means the newborn has some flexing.
- Score two means the newborn has active motion.
The doctor normally uses different simple instruments for carrying out the APGAR test namely Stethoscope. Most of the test is carried out through simple observation.
Conclusion
The overall article has been written on the main topic of the reflexes-APGAR test. APGAR test is used for evaluating infants after they are born. The process was developed in 1952 by Dr. Virginia APGAR. Throughout the article, this main topic has been discussed through discussion of APGAR test definition and the importance and meaning of the APGAR test.
