Vitamin K prior to preterm birth for preventing neonatal periventricular haemorrhage.

BACKGROUND

Preterm infants are at risk of periventricular haemorrhage. This can be a sign of brain damage that might lead to neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including cerebral palsy. It has been suggested that vitamin K might improve coagulation in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this review was to assess the effects of vitamin K administered to women at risk of imminent very preterm birth to prevent periventricular haemorrhage and associated neurological injury in the infant.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and bibliographies up to September 2000.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised or quasi-randomised trials of vitamin K administered parenterally or orally to women at risk of imminent preterm birth. The primary outcomes were neonatal mortality, neonatal neurological morbidity, as measured by the presence of periventricular haemorrhage (PVH) on ultrasound during the first week of life, and long term neurodevelopment. Secondary outcomes included other neonatal morbidity and any maternal side effects.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Eligibility, trial quality assessment and data extraction were done independently by two reviewers.

MAIN RESULTS

Five trials were included, involving more than 420 women. The trials were of variable quality. Antenatal vitamin K was associated with a non-significant trend to a reduction in all grades of periventricular haemorrhage (relative risk (RR) 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-1.00) and in severe PVH (grades 3 and 4) (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.45-1.25) for babies receiving prenatal vitamin K compared with control babies. This trend disappeared when poorer quality trials were excluded. Information on neurodevelopment was only given for a small sample of children in one trial with discrepancy in results given in the two reports.

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin K administered to women prior to very preterm birth has not been shown to significantly prevent periventricular haemorrhages in preterm infants.