What is the Apgar score used to evaluate?

The Apgar score is a standardized assessment tool used to evaluate the health of a newborn immediately after birth. This scoring system assesses five criteria: appearance (skin color), pulse (heart rate), grimace response (reflexes), activity (muscle tone), and respiration (breathing effort). Each criterion is awarded a score ranging from 0 to 2, resulting in a total score between 0 and 10.

The primary focus of the Apgar score is to determine how well the baby is adapting to life outside the womb at one and five minutes after birth, providing essential information on the newborn's immediate physiological status. A higher score indicates a healthy newborn that is transitioning well, while a lower score may signal the need for immediate medical intervention.

In contrast, the other options pertain to different aspects of maternal and fetal health. The nutritional status of the baby, maternal blood pressure levels, and gestational age of the fetus are not evaluated by the Apgar score, highlighting its specific and critical role in neonatal assessment rather than broader maternal or fetal evaluations.