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Report of Three Cases

Allen P. Klippel, MD; Bruce Pitsinger, MD

AMA Arch Surg. 1968;96(2):266-268.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

VITAMIN K is essential for the formation of prothrombin, one of the factors in human blood clotting. Vitamin K, a fat soluble vitamin, is readily available in a normal adult diet and also is abundantly produced by putrefactive bacteria in the mammalian intestine. It is apparent that if the exogenous sources of the vitamin are absent or if its absorption is prevented, hypoprothrombinemia may develop. Various antibiotics may also block vitamin K activity in the hepatic cell. Hypoprothrombinemia may be manifested by massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage as is illustrated by the following cases.

Report of Cases

CASE 1.

—A 54-year-old white woman was admitted to St. Luke's Hospital with signs and symptoms compatible with intestinal obstruction. Her laboratory work-up on admission included a prothrombin level of 100%. She was explored the same day and the distal ileum and cecum were resected because of obstruction due to regional enteritis. Intestinal continuity was . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
St. Louis

From the Department of Surgery, St. Luke's Hospital, and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

Footnotes
Submitted for publication June 30, 1967.

Reprint requests to 35 N Central Ave, St. Louis 63105 (Dr. Klippel).

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