Bleeding secondary to vitamin K deficiency in patients receiving parenteral cephem antibiotics.

Thirteen patients who were treated with cephem antibiotics developed blood coagulation disorders due to vitamin K deficiency. At the time of detection of prolongation of the prothrombin time, cefazolin was being administered in four cases, cefmetazole and latamoxef (moxalactam) in three cases each, and cefoperazone, cefpiramide and ceftazidime in one case each. Bleeding occurred in ten patients, but administration of vitamin K rapidly eliminated the prothrombin time prolongation and the haemorrhagic tendency. To date, we have not detected prothrombin time prolongation or a haemorrhagic tendency with cefotaxime, ceftizoxime, cefotiam, cefoxitin or cefsulodin. Thus, different cephem antibiotics show different effects on the prothrombin time.