title: [New Dutch practice guideline for administration of vitamin K to full-term newborns].
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.
authors.affiliation: Spaarne Ziekenhuis, afd. Kindergeneeskunde, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands. pdewinter@spaarneziekenhuis.nl
authors.forename: J Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: de Winter
authors.forename: Koen F M
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Joosten
authors.forename: Marloes M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ijland
authors.forename: Henkjan J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verkade
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Offringa
authors.forename: Monique D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Dorrius
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: van Hasselt
mesh_terms: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001942:Breast Feeding; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood; D009426:Netherlands; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006475:Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D014812:Vitamin K