The Apgar score has long served as a rapid and effective tool for assessing the immediate physiological state of a newborn. By evaluating five key criteria—heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle ...

The Apgar score evaluates a newborn on five critical criteria: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace response (reflexes), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration (breathing effort).

A low Apgar score (< 7) was strongly associated with a higher risk for in-hospital mortality than a high Apgar score (≥ 7; 35.7% vs 6.9%; adjusted relative risk [RR], 2.24; 95% CI, 1.95-2.58 ...