Vitamin K insufficiency and the prophylaxis strategy in term healthy infants: A multicentre study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) during early infancy is a serious problem worldwide. Vitamin K (VK) deficiency commonly occurs in newborns who are exclusively breastfed. Protein Induced by VK Absence (PIVKA-II) has been identified as an early indicator of subclinical VK deficiency in neonates, surpassing prothrombin time. To assess PIVKA-II levels at 48 h, 1 and 3 months of age in full-term newborns who were exclusively breastfed and received varying VKDB prophylaxis regimens. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in four hospitals, enrolling 105 newborns. PIVKA-II levels were measured using a sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: At 48 h of age, there was no significant difference in PIVKA-II concentrations between newborns who received intramuscular administration of 1 mg of phylloquinone (VK1) and those who received oral administration of 2 mg of VK1 at birth. At 1 and 3 months of life, infants who received any supplementation regimen between 2 and 14 weeks exhibited significantly lower PIVKA-II concentrations compared to infants who received only 1 mg of intramuscular VK1 at birth. The prophylaxis involving a dose of 1 mg of intramuscular VK1 at birth followed by oral administration of 150 µg/day of VK1 from the 2nd to the 14th week of life showed the lowest PIVKA-II blood concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Oral supplementation of VK1 after discharge significantly reduced PIVKA-II concentrations in exclusively breastfed term infants. These findings suggest the importance of oral VK1 supplementation in exclusively breastfed infants during their first 3 months of life to avoid the risk of VK insufficiency.

Splanchnic oxygenation during phototherapy in preterm infants with hyperbilirubinemia.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that preterm infants can develop feeding intolerance during phototherapy (PT) and that PT can affect mesenteric perfusion in these patients. AIMS: Our aim was to assess if PT can decrease regional splanchnic oxygenation (rSO2S) measured by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). STUDY DESIGN: We prospectively studied infants with gestational age of 25-34 weeks with hyperbilirubinemia requiring PT. Splanchnic regional oxygenation (rSO2S), oxygen extraction fraction (FOES), and cerebrosplanchnic oxygenation ratio (CSOR) were recorded before, during, and after PT discontinuation. RESULTS: During PT rSO2S and CSOR significantly decreased and this effect lasted for some hours after its interruption. FOES contemporary increased, although this effect was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: PT treatment decreases splanchnic oxygenation in preterm infants likely due to peripheral vasodilation which triggers a redistribution of blood flow. These results can help explain the association between PT and the development of feeding intolerance in preterm infants.

Feeding intolerance during phototherapy in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: Many very preterm infants are treated with phototherapy (PT) for hyperbilirubinemia and it has been reported that PT can negatively affect gut perfusion. Thus, our aim was to evaluate the occurrence of feeding intolerance in the course of PT in these patients. METHODS: We retrospectively studied infants born at 25+0-31+6 weeks from November 2017 to April 2020 who required PT during the first two weeks of life. Patients were used as their own controls recording for each one the occurrence of feeding intolerance after starting PT and the resumption of feeding tolerance after its termination. RESULTS: We studied 125 preterm infants of whom 58 (46%) developed a feeding intolerance which disappeared in 47 (81%) of them at the end of PT. Regression analysis showed a trend toward a not significant decrease of risk of feeding intolerance in infants with higher birth weight and age at the start of the first course of PT. CONCLUSION: We found that about half of our patients developed a transient feeding intolerance during PT that ceased in the vast majority of them after termination of the therapy. Further studies are necessary to confirm the correlation between PT and feeding intolerance.