. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Sep 1.

Published in final edited form as: Newborn Infant Nurs Rev. 2011 Sep 1;11(3):125–133. doi: 10.1053/j.nainr.2011.07.004

Table 1.

Sarnet Stages of Neonatal Encephalopathy

Assessment	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3
Mental status	Hyperalert	Lethargic	Stuporous
Suck reflex	Weak or absent	Weak or absent	Absent
Moro reflex	Strong	Weak	Absent
Muscle tone	Normal	Hypotonia	Flaccid
Autonomic function	Generalized sympathetic	Generalized parasympathetic	Absent
Pupils	Mydriasis	Miosis	Variable
Seizures	None	Common	Variable
EEG	Normal (awake)	Early: low-voltage theta and delta	Early: periodic pattern with isopotential phases Late: isopotential
Duration	< 24 hours	2–14 days	Hours to weeks

Adapted from (16)