Cerebral Palsy Risk by Combined Apgar Score and Umbilical Cord Blood pH Levels

Is perinatal hypoxia assessed by the combination of clinical and biochemical measures (Apgar score and umbilical cord blood pH) associated with cerebral palsy?In this cohort study of 825 159 singleton newborns (≥35 gestational weeks), the combination of low Apgar score and low umbilical cord blood pH was associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy, substantially higher than when 1 measure was abnormal.This study found that cerebral palsy risk was highest when both clinical and biochemical measures were abnormal.

Corresponding Author: Mette Vestergård Pedersen, MD, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Blvd 99, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark (mvp@clin.au.dk).

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