All of the following are essential criteria for defining perinatal asphyxia EXCEPT?: (A) Persistence of APGAR score of 5-7 for >5 minutes, (B) Prolonged umbilical aerial blood pH <7.0, (C) Presence of neurological manifestations in the immediate neonatal period, (D) Evidence of multiorgan dysfunction in the immediate neonatal period
Answer is A. Essential criteria for defining perinatal asphyxia include: Persistence of APGAR score of 0-3 for >5 minutes Prolonged acidemia (pH <7.0) on an umbilical aerial blood sample Neurological manifestations, e.g. seizures, coma, hypotonia or hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in the immediate neonatal period Evidence of multiorgan dysfunction in the immediate neonatal period