The Apgar test is common practice after the birth of a child. It is a brief observation of the baby’s condition to check for signs of a potential health issue, such as a rapid heart rate or breathing problems, after the birthing process.
If an infant is given a low Apgar score, it means the child may suffer from an injury or illness that requires additional medical attention. In some cases, a low Apgar score can be a sign of a potential birth injury caused by medical malpractice.
What Is the Apgar Score and Why Does it Matter?
The Apgar score is a standardized test given to a newborn to assess its health status immediately after birth (at one and five minutes after). It is a rapid test to determine how the birthing process affected the infant physically and to look for potential signs of a birth injury.
The purpose of the Apgar score system is to allow health care providers to quickly assess a newborn’s health to determine if additional medical care or specialized treatment is needed. It’s important so that an infant gets the prompt medical treatment he or she needs in the event of a poor health outcome after birth.
What Is Involved in the Apgar Scoring Process?
The Apgar test involves a health care practitioner assessing certain neonatal markers to deduce how well the infant fared during the birthing process. Apgar stands for appearance, pulse, grimace, activity and respiration. An Apgar score analyzes the following:
- Physical appearance
- Skin color
- Heart rate (pulse)
- Muscle tone
- Activity
- Reflexes
- Respiration or breathing effort
The first test (one minute post-birth) looks for immediate problems to determine if resuscitation is needed. The second Apgar test (five minutes after birth) tells the doctor, nurse, midwife or other practitioner how well the newborn is faring outside of the womb.
Understanding Your Infant’s Apgar Score
A health care provider calculates an Apgar score by assigning a number between 0 and 2 for each of the five categories of the test. Lower numbers mean poorer health signs, while higher numbers represent a “normal” assessment.
For example, a newborn’s appearance would be given an Apgar score of 0 if the skin is a pale blue color, a 1 if the body is pink but the extremities are blue, and a 2 if the entire body is pink. A full breakdown of each category can be found here.
The Apgar assessment has a maximum score of 10, but it is rare for a newborn to receive this score, as almost all infants lose points in one or more categories. Scores of 7, 8 and 9 are normal and signal that the newborn is in good health. A score lower than 7 signals that an infant may need medical attention to help the baby adjust outside of the mother’s womb.
How a Low Apgar Score Signals Potential Birth Negligence
Common reasons for a newborn to receive an Apgar score on the lower end of the scale include a difficult or complicated birth, a prolonged birth, fluid in the infant’s lungs, and a C-section delivery. Another possibility is the presence of medical negligence or malpractice during labor or delivery.
Medical malpractice during childbirth means that a health care provider does not meet the medical industry’s standards of care. Common examples include failure to monitor fetal vital signs, failure to order an emergency C-section, improper use of birth-assistive tools and medication mistakes.
If medical malpractice is present during a mother’s labor and delivery, it can increase the risk of related birth injuries that could make the baby score lower on Apgar testing. While a low Apgar score does not always mean a birth involved medical malpractice, it should serve to make parents aware of the possibility of birth injuries and what may have caused them.
Long-Term Conditions Linked to Low Apgar Scores
An Apgar score is not a direct indication of an infant’s physical or mental health status in terms of long-term medical conditions. It is not meant to predict the future health status of a child. For example, in many cases, a low Apgar score at the one-minute mark will already be higher by the five-minute test.
However, concerns raised by a low Apgar score may ultimately lead to the diagnosis of a chronic or long-term medical condition. If a newborn is rated 0 for breathing effort, for instance, a lack of oxygen reaching the baby’s brain for a prolonged period could lead to brain damage and conditions such as cerebral palsy.
Other examples of long-term or permanent medical conditions that are often linked to low Apgar scores immediately after birth include brain hypoxia and anoxia, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, brachial plexus injuries, Erb’s palsy, and Klumpke’s palsy.
Proving Liability in Apgar-Related Birth Injury Cases
A low Apgar score could mean that the infant suffered a birth injury or poor health outcome due to medical malpractice. In these situations, the infant’s family has the right to seek financial compensation through a civil claim against the hospital, birthing center or physician. A successful malpractice claim could lead to damages for related medical bills, pain and suffering, permanent disability, and more.
Holding someone liable or financially responsible for a birth injury in Minneapolis requires proof of negligence. Typically, there must be evidence demonstrating that a doctor-patient relationship existed, that the doctor or health care practitioner breached the medical industry’s standards of care, and that this caused the infant’s injury.
How a Minneapolis Birth Injury Lawyer Can Help
If your family has undergone the trauma, stress and turmoil of discovering that your newborn has an injury or medical condition and you have reason to suspect medical negligence – along with a low Apgar score – it’s critical to consult with a birth injury lawyer at Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC. Our birth injury lawyers will carefully review your situation to explain your family’s legal rights.
If there’s evidence of medical negligence that may have led to the low Apgar score, our attorneys will find it and present it in a compelling way to a judge, jury or insurance provider on your behalf. We will fight for the justice and financial compensation that your family deserves in and out of the courtroom in Minneapolis.
Schedule a free consultation with our experienced Minneapolis birth injury lawyers for more information about how low Apgar scores may be related to medical malpractice. We’ve been serving families in birth injury cases in Minnesota since 1986.