Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Practice Exam

What are the Apgar scores of a neonate with a pale color and 40 bpm heart rate at one minute?

1. 1 at one minute and 5 at 5 minutes

2. 2 at one minute and 4 at 5 minutes

3. 3 at one minute and 6 at 5 minutes

4. 2 at one minute and 5 at 5 minutes

The correct answer is: 2 at one minute and 4 at 5 minutes

The Apgar scoring system evaluates five criteria: Appearance (color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace response (reflexes), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2, with higher scores indicating better physiological functioning. In this case, the neonate presents with pale color, which typically garners a score of 0 for Appearance, as the ideal score of 2 is given for a fully pink infant. The heart rate of 40 beats per minute indicates a score of 1 for Pulse because a score of 2 is assigned to a heart rate over 100 bpm, while a score of 0 is given for no pulse. While the other criteria weren't specified in your question, the combination of the score for Appearance and Pulse would lead to a sum of 1. If the other criteria (Grimace response, Activity, and Respiration) were to contribute scores that added up to 1 more point, then a total score of 2 at one minute is plausible. Regarding the score at five minutes, the infant may have shown improvement in one or more categories, leading to a score of 4 based on the assumption that significant changes in condition occurred since birth. This