Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation
  • Published:

Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation

Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding after intramuscular prophylaxis at birth: a case report

Abstract

We report the case of a 6-week-old female who presented an intracranial hemorrhage due to late vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). No other evident bleeding sites were present at the moment of diagnosis. Intramuscular vitamin K (1 mg) was administered at birth. She was exclusively breast-fed. No other risk factors for VKDB were detected. Low levels of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors and their normalization after vitamin K administration confirmed the diagnosis of late VKDB. The present case suggests potential risks related to a single dose of intramuscular vitamin K at birth.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Controversies Concerning Vitamin K and the Newborn Pediatrics. 2003; 112: 191–192.

  2. Puckett RM, Offringa M . Prophylactic vitamin K for vitamin K deficiency bleeding in neonates (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000; CD002776.

  3. Scientific and Standardization Committee Communications. Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding in Infancy. Thromb Haemost 1999; 81: 456–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Zipurviky A . Prevention of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in newborn. Review. Br J Haematol 1999; 104: 430–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Greer FR, Marshall S, Cherry J, Suttle JW . Vitamin K status of lactating mothers, human milk and breastfeeding infants. Pediatrics 1991; 88: 751–756.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Solves P, Altés A, Ginovart G, Demestre J, Fontcuberta J . Late hemorrhagic disease of the newborn as a cause of intracerebral bleeding. Ann Hematol 1997; 75: 65–66 Q Springer-Verlag 1997.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Latini G, Quartulli L, De Mitri B, Del Vecchio A, Vecchio C . Intracranial hemorrhage associated with vitamin K deficiency in breastfed infant after intramuscolare vitamin K prophylaxis at birth. Follow up at 18 months. Acta Paediatr 2000; 89: 878–886.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Greer FR . Are breastfed infants vitamin K deficient? Adv Exp Med Biol 2001; 501: 391–395.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Cornelissen EA, Kollee LA, Van Lith TG, Motohara K, Monnens LA . Evalution of a daily dose of 25 micrograms vitamin K1 to prevent vitamin K deficiency in breast-fed infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1993; 16 (3): 301–305.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Italian Society of Neonatology. Profilassi con la vitamina K nell'emorragia da deficit di vitamina K. Consensus Conference, Siena 2 aprile 2004.

  11. Ross JA, Davies SM . Vitamin K prophylaxis and childhood cancer. Med Pediatr Oncol 2000; 34: 434–437.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M Ciantelli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ciantelli, M., Bartalena, L., Bernardini, M. et al. Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding after intramuscular prophylaxis at birth: a case report. J Perinatol 29, 168–169 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2008.131

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2008.131

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links