

In addition, as this research was conducted in Sweden, it was limited by the international variability in Apgar scoring.Newborn morbidity and mortality are forecasted using the Apgar scores.

Of 113,300 preterm infants, there were 1,986 neonatal deaths. The authors adjusted for covariates including maternal age, parity, smoking status, BMI, hypertensive diseases, mode of delivery, birth weight, hospital level, year of birth and gestational age in days within each age range.

Preterm births were stratified based on gestational age (22-24, 25-27, 28-31, 32-34, and 35-36 weeks), which was determined by an ultrasound for more than 80% of mothers in the study. "However, to the extent that physiological response patterns that are reflected by Apgar scores in preterm infants may be a proxy for vulnerability related to immaturity, Apgar scores may provide useful prognostic information for the survival of preterm infants."Ĭynthia Bearer, MD, PhD, chief of the neonatology division at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, said that, previously, providers did not think that Apgar scores were relevant to assess preterm babies. Some have argued that a low Apgar score in preterm babies may indicate biologic immaturity as opposed to fetal depression, they stated. "Our findings challenge the view that the Apgar score may be of limited use in preterm infants," the authors wrote. The absolute rate difference - the excess number of neonatal deaths per 100 births - also increased as Apgar scores decreased in all gestational age ranges, they wrote.Ĭnattingius and colleagues also found that an Apgar score that increased between 5 and 10 minutes was associated with lower rates of neonatal death compared with a stable score.
