Proposed Criteria for the Use of Low-Dose Vitamin K Supplementation in Patients Using Vitamin K Antagonists: A Literature Review of a Clinical Controversy. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) have been used for decades to prevent thromboembolic events, but can be burdensome to patients based on numerous factors impacting anticoagulation control. Low-dose vitamin K supplementation has been theorized to improve anticoagulation control in patients on VKAs that may be vitamin K deficient. The objective of this literature review is to propose criteria for implementing low-dose vitamin K supplementation in patients on VKAs. LITERATURE REVIEW: The CHEST 2012 antithrombotic guidelines recommended against routine use of vitamin K supplementation in patients on VKAs. An observational study and three randomized controlled trials pertaining to this recommendation were evaluated. A literature review was also performed on other studies looking at the impact of low-dose vitamin K supplementation on anticoagulation control through a search in PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. One retrospective and two prospective studies were reviewed. Six of the seven studies demonstrated a non-statistically significant trend in data supporting improvement in anticoagulation control with low-dose vitamin K supplementation. CONCLUSION: While many of the studies did not achieve significant results, the majority demonstrated a trend in support of the improvement of anticoagulation control with low-dose vitamin K supplementation in patients on VKAs.

published proceedings

  • J Pharm Pract

author list (cited authors)

  • Evans, C. E., Getchell, K. E., & Ivy, D. R

citation count

  • 2

complete list of authors

  • Evans, Christy E||Getchell, Katerine E||Ivy, Delaney R

publication date

  • April 2018