APGAR Score

Newborn assessment

Appearance (color)

0 — Blue or pale all over

1 — Body pink, extremities blue

2 — Completely pink

Pulse (heart rate)

0 — Absent

1 — Below 100/min

2 — 100/min or above

Grimace (reflex response)

0 — No response

1 — Grimace

2 — Cry, cough, or sneeze

Activity (muscle tone)

0 — Limp

1 — Some flexion

2 — Active motion

Respiration

0 — Absent

1 — Slow or irregular

2 — Good, crying

Evidence

Original publication

Apgar V. A proposal for a new method of evaluation of the newborn infant.

Anesthesia & Analgesia, 1953

Open source

Validation

Casey BM, McIntire DD, Leveno KJ. The continuing value of the Apgar score for the assessment of newborn infants. Large cohort showing the 5-minute score predicts neonatal mortality.

New England Journal of Medicine, 2001

Open source

Last reviewed: 2026-09

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MedScore is an educational and clinical decision-support tool. It does not provide a diagnosis, a treatment, or a drug-dosing recommendation, and it does not replace clinical judgement or local guidelines. Confirm every result against the original source before acting on it. The treating clinician remains responsible for all decisions.