<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Apgar scores of 7, 8, and 9 are associated with an increased risk for neonatal morbidity and mortality among term infants, according to a study published online May 7 in The BMJ<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Neda Razaz, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the correlations between Apgar scores of 7, 8, and 9 versus 10 at 1, 5, and 10 minutes and neonatal mortality and morbidity among 1,551,436 nonmalformed, live singleton infants born at term.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that infants with lower Apgar scores versus an Apgar score of 10 had higher adjusted odds ratios for neonatal mortality, neonatal infections, asphyxia-related complications, respiratory distress, and neonatal hypoglycemia, especially at 5 and 10 minutes. The adjusted odds ratios for respiratory distress were 2.0, 5.2, and 12.4 for an Apgar score of 9 versus 10 at 1, 5, and 10 minutes, respectively. The adjusted rate differences for respiratory distress were 9.5 and 41.9 percent for an Apgar score of 9 and 7 versus 10, respectively, at 10 minutes. Compared with a stable Apgar score of 10 at 5 and 10 minutes, a reduction in Apgar score from 10 at 5 minutes to 9 at 10 minutes correlated with higher odds of neonatal morbidity.<\/p>\n
“The optimal Apgar score is 10 at each time point, and all newborns should be assigned an Apgar score at 10 minutes, regardless of their score at 1 minute and 5 minutes,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n