Discrepancy between Apgar score and umbilical artery pH value in the newborn infant. (Correlation to mode of delivery and fetal outcome

: In a retrospective study data from more than 9000 live births were analyzed. Our aim was to compare the significance of Apgar-Score and umbilical artery pH in predicting the condition and development of the newborn. We were particularly interested in three groups of patients: "Group A" included patients with a 5 minute Apgar-Score 7,2. In "Group P" the pH was 7,20 and Apgar-Score between 8 and 10). There was a higher percentage of operative deliveries in group A (38%) and group P (20%) compared to the normal group (15%). The only predictor of a low Apgar-Score was meconium stained amniotic fluid (Group A 16%). A poor condition of the newborn correlated much better with a low Apgar-Score than with a low umbilical artery pH. In group A the rate of newborns transferred to the neonatology unit was 43% and the perinatal mortality rate was 50%. The poor correlation of a low umbilical artery pH and the fetal outcome is partly explainable by the standard cut off level of 7,20 for acidosis, which seems to be too high.