E-DRUG: Vitamine K1 (phytomenadione) and K3 (menadione) (3)
-----------------------------------------------------
The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council has published guidelines on Vitamin K Administration to Newborn Infants to Prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding in Infancy at
http://www7.health.gov.au/nhmrc/publications/synopses/ch39syn.htm
in 2000. I do not know if there has been new evidence published since then.
The guidelines recommend that all newborns receive an intramuscular injection of 1mg (0.1ml) of Konakion MM (the brand marketed for children in Australia) at birth. This is stressed as the preferred option for reliability and compliance. However, parents can elect to have the vitamin K treatment administered orally as three 2mg (0.2ml) doses of Konakion MM - given a birth, at the time of newborn screening (three to five days), and at four weeks. The guidelines stress the advantage of the intramuscular injection as it requires no subsequent dosage to be administered. The advantage of the oral administration in three doses is that it is non-invasive and that, if 100% compliance is achieved, it may be almost as effective as intramuscular administration.
Menadione has just been discontinued in Australia. I don't believe it should be used in this indication anyway.
Agnes
Agnes Vitry
Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Practice Research Center
University of South Australia
E-mail: agnes.vitry@unisa.edu.au