Clinical Research: Is Routine Vitamin K Supplementation Required in Hospitalized Patients Receiving Parenteral Nutrition?

Abstract

Vitamin K is not a component of the multivitamin preparation added to parenteral nutrition solutions, and hospitalized patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) support are at risk of developing vitamin K deficiency. In this study, 70 consecutive patients receiving PN were followed prospectively to determine the incidence of a raised international normalized ratio (INR). Over a 3-week period, 20% of patients developed a raised INR compared with baseline. All elevations were mild, with no patients developing clinical bleeding. An alternative to routinely supplementing vitamin K is monitoring INR and supplementing those individuals with elevated coagulation parameters.