The nurse is assessing a neonate to obtain an Apgar score. The nurse records the following data: heart rate: 120 bpm, good respiratory effort, neonate crying vigorously, some flexion of extremities, body color: pink, extremities blue. What would be the Apgar score for this neonate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Apgar score is determined by evaluating five criteria: heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color. Each criterion is scored on a scale of 0 to 2. For this neonate: Heart rate >100 bpm = 2 points, Good respiratory effort and crying = 2 points, Some flexion of extremities = 1 point (full flexion would be 2 points), Body color pink but extremities blue = 1 point (completely pink would be 2 points), Reflex irritability (implied by crying vigorously) = 2 points. Adding these scores gives a total Apgar score of 8.

The Nurse Is Assessing a Neonate to Obtain an Apgar