Wong's Essentials of Pediatric Nursing 11th Edition Test Bank - Health Promotion of the Newborn and Family Related

Review Wong's Essentials of Pediatric Nursing 11th Edition Test Bank - Health Promotion of the Newborn and Family related questions and content

The Apgar score of an infant 5 minutes after birth is 8. Which is the nurses best interpretation of this?

  • A. Resuscitation is likely to be needed.
  • B. Adjustment to extrauterine life is adequate.
  • C. Additional scoring in 5 more minutes is needed.
  • D. Maternal sedation or analgesia contributed to the low score.
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The Apgar reflects an infants status in five areas: heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, and color. A score of 8 to 10 indicates an absence of difficulty adjusting to extrauterine life. Scores of 0 to 3 indicate severe distress, and scores of 4 to 7 indicate moderate difficulty. All infants are rescored at 5 minutes of life, and a score of 8 is not indicative of distress; the newborn does not have a low score. The Apgar score is not used to determine the infants need for resuscitation at birth.