COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE O APGAR NO PRIMEIRO E QUINTO COM A MATURIDADE DA PELE DE BEBÊS A TERMO

Abstract

Introduction: The degree of skin maturity, determined through reflectance, is a parameter that has shown associations with gestational age and neonatal development, offering the potential for crucial data to support screening and immediate clinical support. Objective: To investigate the association between Apgar scores at the first and fifth minutes of life and skin maturity in full-term newborns. Methodology: A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted with 149 full-term newborns, evaluated for skin maturity and Apgar scores within the first 48 hours after birth in hospitals located in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. The variables of interest included skin maturity (measured by skin reflectance using the optoelectronic device Preemie-test) and immediate neonatal clinical outcomes, such as gestational age, birth weight, and Apgar scores at the 1st and 5th minutes. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation tests were applied. Results: The results revealed a significant positive correlation between skin maturity and gestational age (r = 0.2; p = 0.03), as well as between skin maturity and the 5th-minute Apgar score (r = 0.2; p = 0.05), indicating that more mature skin is associated with greater vitality and better neonatal cardiorespiratory adaptation. No positive correlation was observed between skin maturity and the 1st-minute Apgar score (r = 0.1; p = 0.19). Conclusion: The combined assessment of skin maturity and the 5th-minute Apgar score represents a promising marker for identifying newborns at lower risk of respiratory and neurological complications, supporting early interventions and physiotherapeutic follow-up aimed at improving neonatal prognosis and quality of life. Further studies with larger samples are warranted to confirm and expand upon these associations.