System used to assess newborn infantÕs adaptation to extrauterine environment at 1 and 5 minutes postbirth. Five characteristicsÑcolor (appearance), heart rate (pulse), muscle tone (grasp), respiratory effort (airway), and reflex irritability (reflex)Ñare scored on scale of 0Ð2 and added. Best possible score is Ò10 and 10.Ó