← Back to guidelines The Apgar score is a method for reporting the status of the newborn immediately after birth and response to resuscitation 1.
The Apgar score alone cannot be considered evidence of, or a consequence of, asphyxia, nor does it predict individual neonatal mortality or neurologic outcome 1.
An Apgar score assigned during resuscitation is not equivalent to a score assigned to a spontaneously breathing infant 1.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists encourage use of an expanded Apgar score reporting form that accounts for concurrent resuscitative interventions 1. Resuscitation may be indicated based on the infant's condition at birth 1. The Apgar score is a convenient method for reporting newborn status and response to resuscitation but should not be used to diagnose asphyxia or predict outcomes 1.
An expanded Apgar score reporting form that accounts for resuscitative interventions is encouraged 1.
An Apgar score assigned during resuscitation is not equivalent to one assigned to a spontaneously breathing infant 1.
Emergency Medicine109 papers
Mild to moderate birth asphyxia
Last edited: 4/10/2026
Original source
- [1]The Apgar Score. Pediatrics (2015)