The Story of Dr. Apgar
Did you know The Apgar Score was first formulated while she was having breakfast in 1949. She wrote it on a napkin, and later, in 1952, presented her idea as a way to assess how well a baby has endured delivery. It was published in 1953, and today is still administered worldwide.
This is the power of standardization!
Before that each doctor had their own way of assessing new born health and the results, collectively and overall, were much worse.
Here’s a bit more about her life and career…
Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was a physician and medical researcher who developed the Apgar score, a system for evaluating the health of newborns: The Apgar score is a 10-point test that measures a newborn’s breathing, skin color, reflexes, motion, and heart rate. The score is given at one and five minutes after birth, and a low score indicates a need for immediate attention.
Apgar was a surgeon and anesthesiologist who trained at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She was the first woman to head a department at Columbia, and the first woman to be named a full professor in any discipline there
| Apgar was a leader in the field of public health and birth defects:
She raised funds for research into birth defects and their prevention and treatment. She was the first medical leader at March of Dimes to recognize prematurity as a serious problem. She helped create the specialty of perinatology. She triggered the formation of neonatology, the care of the newborn infant. She created a clinical scoring system that has been applied in multiple other areas. Apgar’s work has saved countless newborn lives. She was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp, and Google celebrated her 109th birthday with a Doodle. |