The Apgar Score as an Index of Infant Morbidity

Evidence is presented that both the one‐minute and five‐minute Apgar score have value in predicting infant morbidity, and that the five‐minute score is the better predictor. Morbidity is defined in terms of a diagnostic impression regarding neurological abnormality at one year of age, and by more specific findings regarding motor retardation, muscle tone and prehensile grasp. Low birth‐weight is also related to abnormal neurological outcome at one year of age. Within combinations of birth‐weight and five‐minute score groups, abnormal outcome is associated most strongly with the combination of low birth‐weight and low five‐minute score. In general, the percentage of abnormality within each birth‐weight group is greater among infants with scores of 0–3 than among infants in the same birth‐weight group with scores of 7–10. It appears that while both birth‐weight and Apgar scores at one and five minutes have predictability value regarding neurological abnormality at one year, this predictability value increases considerably when birth‐weight and five‐minute scores are combined.