While the moments immediately after birth should be full of joy and relief for the parents, they are also some of the most dangerous for the newborn. That’s why doctors conduct an immediate assessment of the child to determine whether additional medical intervention is needed. The most commonly used tool in this setting is the Apgar score.
If your child was born with a low Apgar score, that may be a sign that something went wrong before or during labor and delivery. It may also help to prove negligence or malpractice after delivery. Here’s what parents of children with birth injuries need to know.
What does Apgar score mean?
The Apgar score (sometimes called an APGAR score) is a tool for quick evaluation of the health of a newborn in the minutes after birth. The score was originally invented by an anesthesiologist, Dr. Virginia Apgar. The five categories developed by Dr. Apgar are listed using the letters of her name (a backronym), each of which is scored from 0 to 2.
- Appearance: score 0 if the baby is blue or pale all over, 1 if the baby is blue at the extremities but the body is pink, and 2 if the body and extremities are pink.
- Pulse: score 0 if there is no pulse, 1 if the pulse is less than 100 beats per minute, 2 if the pulse is 100 beats per minute or more.
- Grimace (reflex irritability): score 0 if the baby shows no response to stimulation, 1 if there is a grimace or suction on aggressive stimulation, 2 if the baby cries on stimulation.
- Activity (muscle tone): score 0 if there is no flexion, 1 if there is some flexion, 2 if the baby has flexed arms and legs that resist extension.
- Respiratory effort (breathing): score 0 if the newborn is not breathing, 1 if the breathing is weak, irregular, or gasping, 2 if the newborn has a strong, robust cry.
These five categories are assessed at one and five minutes after birth, and the five scores are added together for a final score between 0 and 10. A score of 7 or above is considered normal, 4 to 6 is cause for concern, and 3 or lower is regarded as critically low, requiring immediate resuscitation. If the score remains low at five minutes, the test may be repeated at later times. Consistently low Apgar scores at the 10, 15, 20, and/or 30-minute mark can be an early sign of a birth injury.
How can Apgar scores affect birth injury cases?
Remember, the Apgar test is not meant to diagnose birth injuries. A baby with a low Apgar score does not necessarily have a birth injury, and a baby with a high Apgar score may still have a birth injury. However, the Apgar score can be an early warning sign that the baby needs further evaluation. Furthermore, if your child’s doctors and other medical professionals did not do what they had to do after a low Apgar score, that too could be the basis of a medical malpractice claim.
In birth injury litigation, an Apgar score can be used in combination with other medical evidence to establish the timing of your child’s injuries, which is important to establish who was responsible for the injury. An Apgar score may also help to show the severity of the injury and whether it could have been prevented with better, more timely medical intervention.
Talk to a birth injury attorney about your child’s rights
Whether your child was born with a low or high Apgar score, if they are showing signs or have been diagnosed with a birth injury such as cerebral palsy, you have legal rights. Our law firm can help protect them.
Attorney John A. Lancione and the legal team at The Lancione Law Firm have been fighting for birth injury victims and their families for decades, and we have a winning track record of results, including a $14.2 million recovery for a baby girl who suffered brain damage. Give us a call or contact us online for a free consultation.
"The future of our child was unknown, and The Lancione Law Firm changed that. We are forever grateful for the outstanding service and results we received.” — Rita Scott, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐