Does the Apgar Score Have Meaning Beyond the Delivery Room?

In a large Swedish population, lower 5-minute and 10-minute Apgar scores were associated with higher risk for cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Whether small changes in Apgar scores have long-term predictive value for newborns remains undetermined. To examine the association between Apgar scores and risk for cerebral palsy or epilepsy, investigators conducted a population cohort study of 1.2 million term singleton infants born in Sweden between 1999 and 2012.

Overall, 1221 children (0.1%) were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Compared with children with 5-minute Apgar scores of 10 (0.065% incidence of cerebral palsy), children with lower scores had higher hazard ratios for cerebral palsy. Hazard ratios increased with each 1-point drop in score, from 1.9 for a 5-minute Apgar score of 9, to 277.7 for a score of 0. Similar trends were observed for 10-minute Apgar scores. For epilepsy (di…

Reviewing Author

Robin Steinhorn, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardActelion Pharmaceuticals

Editorial BoardsJournal of Pediatrics

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Pediatric Society (President); American Board of Pediatrics (Board of Directors)

Robin Steinhorn, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardActelion Pharmaceuticals

Editorial BoardsJournal of Pediatrics

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Pediatric Society (President); American Board of Pediatrics (Board of Directors)

Does the Apgar Score Have Meaning Beyond the Delivery Room?

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Reviewing Author