Autopsy Reports Detail Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding Deaths in Newborns

Autopsy reports obtained through public records requests in multiple states list vitamin K deficiency bleeding as the immediate cause of death or a contributing factor in several infant cases. The reports include details that parents declined the vitamin K shot given at birth.

Vitamin K deficiency bleeding occurs when newborns lack sufficient vitamin K to form blood clots, a condition the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended preventing with a single injection since the 1960s.

Minnesota report stated the infant died of vitamin K deficiency bleeding and noted that vitamin K was not received as part of preventive care after birth. Another report from Alabama described subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage along with cerebral edema and brain tissue death.

A Kentucky report documented attempts to insert breathing tubes, administer IV fluids, and perform blood transfusions. The infant was resuscitated once before a second cardiac arrest led parents to instruct medical staff to stop efforts after approximately 30 minutes.

Physical Details Recorded Reports also listed items accompanying the infants to the morgue, including hospital identification bands, clean diapers, and blankets. Footprint impressions taken at the time of death appeared in some records. A national study of more than 5 million births found the rate of newborns not receiving vitamin K increased 77 percent between 2017 and 2024.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that infants who do not receive the shot are 81 times more likely to develop late vitamin K deficiency bleeding than those who do.