title: What is the appropriate intravenous dose of vitamin E for very-low-birth-weight infants?
abstract: The Committee on Fetus and Newborn of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has endorsed 1 to 2 mg/dl as the normal range of serum tocopherol level. Our Cochrane review has shown that vitamin E supplementation resulting in levels >3.5 mg/dl, but not < or =3.5 mg/dl, significantly reduces the risk for severe retinopathy among very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants examined but increases the risks of sepsis and of necrotizing enterocolitis among infants treated for >1 week. As a fixed daily intravenous dose of vitamin E results in an inverse relationship between serum level and birth weight and is a risk for both low and high serum tocopherol levels, a dose adjusted for current weight appears more judicious than a fixed dose per day. Based on currently available data the AAP and the American Society for Clinical Nutrition currently recommend a routine intake of 2 ml/kg/day of MVI Pediatric (2.8 IU/kg/day) in VLBW infants (maximum of 5 ml/day or 7 IU/day).
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY 10461-2373, USA.
authors.forename: Luc P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Brion
authors.forename: Edward F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Talkad S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Raghuveer
authors.forename: Lamia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soghier
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition; D012306:Risk; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol