Abstract
High doses of Vitamin A given during parenteral alimentation (PA), even if reduced by adsorption to plastic tubing, could cause toxicity if the retinyl ester (RtE) overwhelms the capacity of the storage mechanism. To check for significant serum RtE characteristic of Vitamin A toxicity, 9 infants were sampled while on peripheral PA for 1 to 31 days. On the day of sample, the mean daily Vitamin A dose per kg body wt: 3677 I.U. (S.D.1750) or 1103 ug (S.D.525). Mean gestational age: 30.2 wks (S.D.1.1), birth weight: 1222 g (S.D.264), day of age for sample ranged from 5 to 37 days and a total of 13 samples were collected. Serum RtE levels were uniformly low, i.e. 2.1 μg% or less. Serum Retinol before PA in 5 infants was 6.4 μg % (S.D. 3.8) and rose to 12.7 μg% (S.D. 5.3) during PA.
Further work needs to be done to identify the optimal Vitamin A dose, but it is reassuring to know that the current dose does not appear to be excessive.
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Bartlett, E., Oesterling, M., Kintinar, C. et al. 513 SERUM RETINOL AND RETINYL ESTERS IN PREMATURE INFANTS RECEIVING PARENTERAL ALIMENTATION. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 526 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00526
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00526
