Vitamin K Injection Site For Newborns
In the uk you ll be offered vitamin k as an injection for your baby.
Vitamin k injection site for newborns. This brochure is based on the joint statement and recommendations on vitamin k administration to newborn infants to prevent vitamin k deficiency bleeding in infancy that was re issued by the national health. The document outlines the options for the route of administration of vitamin k. Therefore vitamin k should be injected into. If you prefer they can have it orally instead although they will need further doses puckett and offringa 2000.
Vitamin k injections remain the best preventive measure for reducing the risk of haemorrhagic disease of the newborn. The document also advises whom parents should contact if they require additional information and guidance. It s just not something that is talked about during prenatal checkups even though babies have been routinely given this important shot at birth since the practice was first recommended by the american academy of pediatrics in 1961. The injectable form of vitamin k can rarely cause severe sometimes fatal allergic reactions when given by injection into a muscle or vein.
Giving vitamin k by mouth orally does not provide as much protection for your baby and they will need to have 2 more doses over a period of weeks. Intramuscular im injections in neonates may be required to administer medications or vaccines. Circumcision sites are frequently listed as a site of bleeding when infants have classical first week vkdb. Medications are injected into the bulkiest part of the vastus lateralis thigh muscle which is the junction of the upper and middle thirds of this muscle.
The anterolateral thigh is the preferred site for im injection in infants under 12 months of age. Giving vitamin k by injection provides the best protection for your baby. It s recommended that all newborn babies should receive vitamin k at birth mcninch and tripp 1991. Before having a baby most parents don t give much thought to the vitamin k injection shot for their newborn.
Vitamin k should be administered to all neonates at birth or immediately afterwards. Vitamin k deficiency can account for vitamin k deficiency bleeding vkdb which occurs in 3 forms early classic and late. However the protocols for administration route of administration dosage number of doses remain a subject of discussion. Unfortunately circumcision often takes place when vitamin k levels in the infant are lowest during days 2 and 3 of life shearer 2009.
Does circumcision increase the need for vitamin k injection.