Silverman–Andersen
Neonatal work of breathing; five observable signs, comparison of three observations.
Silverman–Andersen
Principle
Quantification of newborn work of breathing. All components must be observable; a masked sign remains missing. A low score cannot exclude apnoea or respiratory failure. No universal CPAP threshold or automatic treatment decision.
Scope
Quantification of newborn work of breathing. All components must be observable; a masked sign remains missing. A low score cannot exclude apnoea or respiratory failure. No universal CPAP threshold or automatic treatment decision.
Interpretation limits
Quantification of newborn work of breathing. All components must be observable; a masked sign remains missing. A low score cannot exclude apnoea or respiratory failure. No universal CPAP threshold or automatic treatment decision. The cited validation concerns the first hour of life; extending navigation to the neonatal period does not validate prognosis at every age.
Formula and logic
Sum of five components, each scored from 0 to 2: total 0–10. Each observation is calculated separately.
Definition version : 0.1.0
Sources
- Hedstrom et al. · Journal of Perinatology — Performance of the Silverman Andersen Respiratory Severity Score
2018 · Full article available; figure1 visually inspected on 2026-10-06: five signs 0–2. Cohort assessed in the first hour of life; escalation thresholds differ by context. Original Silverman1956 identified, not read in full.
- Brenne et al. · PLOS ONE — Inter-rater reliability of the Silverman and Andersen index
2023 · Introduction, methods and limitations read on 2026-10-06: interobserver variability, nostrils obscured by respiratory interfaces; no imputation of a masked sign.