Vitamin K deficiency with hemorrhage after kidney and combined kidney-pancreas transplantation

Vitamin K deficiency is a common occurrence in the surgical and intensive care unit population, but its incidence in kidney and combined kidney-pancreas allograft recipients has not been described. We report four patients who received cadaveric kidney or combined kidney-pancreas allografts and subsequently developed significant bleeding associated with deficiency of vitamin K, Their coagulopathy promptly resolved with the parenteral administration of vitamin K, Treatment with vitamin K should be considered in kidney or combined kidney-pancreas allograft recipients with a prolonged prothrombin or partial thromboplastin time during the first postoperative week to avoid hemorrhagic complications. (C) 1999 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.