[New Dutch practice guideline for administration of vitamin K to full-term newborns]

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2011;155(18):A936.
[Article in Dutch]

Abstract

Vitamin K-deficiency can cause haemorrhage in newborns and infants from the first hours up to several months after birth. These 'vitamin K deficiency bleedings' (VKDB) can be divided into 3 forms: early (occur in the first hours after birth), classic (first week after birth) and late (between the 2nd and the 12th week of life). The current Dutch vitamin K practice guideline consists of prophylactic administration of 1 mg vitamin K orally directly after birth and a daily dose of 25 μg from day 8 onwards. The current prophylactic treatment provides good protection against VKDB for healthy, breastfed infants. However, the current prophylactic treatment provides insufficient protection for a specific group of infants, namely breastfed infants with defective fat absorption (in cholestasis), leading to less efficient absorption of vitamin K by the body. Anually approximately 5 infants from this group suffer serious haemorrhage. After evaluation of current literature and advice from The Health Council of the Netherlands, vitamin K dosage was adapted for all breastfed infants from day 8 to 3 months (12th week of life) following birth: the daily dose was raised from 25 µg to 150 µg per day.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Practice Guideline

MeSH terms

  • Antifibrinolytic Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antifibrinolytic Agents / blood
  • Antifibrinolytic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Breast Feeding*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Infant, Newborn / blood
  • Netherlands
  • Vitamin K / administration & dosage*
  • Vitamin K / blood
  • Vitamin K / therapeutic use
  • Vitamin K Deficiency / complications
  • Vitamin K Deficiency / drug therapy*
  • Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding / epidemiology
  • Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding / prevention & control*

Substances

  • Antifibrinolytic Agents
  • Vitamin K