Increasing the dose of oral vitamin K prophylaxis and its effect on bleeding risk

Conclusion: A sixfold increase in oral vitamin K prophylaxis was associated with a surprisingly modest reduction in the incidence of intracranial VKDB, indicating that factors other than the dose need addressing to improve efficacy.What is Known:•The efficacy of intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis is threatened by an increasing number of parents opting out.•Oral prophylaxis represents an attractive and less invasive alternative but is inferior, especially in infants with malabsorption of vitamin K due to cholestasis.What is New:•Increasing the daily oral dose of vitamin K sixfold had a surprisingly modest effect on the incidence of late vitamin K deficiency bleeding.•This finding indicates that factors other than the dose must play an important role.
Source: European Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Source Type: research