Effect of vitamin K1 on survival of patients with chronic liver failure: A retrospective cohort study

The effectiveness of vitamin K1 for the treatment of liver failure has been controversial, and no studies have investigated the effect of vitamin K1 on the risk of death and coagulation function in patients with chronic liver failure. This study aimed to explore the effect of vitamin K1 on death risk and international normalized ratio in patients with chronic liver failure. From December 2013 to August 2017, this retrospective cohort study screened patients hospitalized for chronic liver failure (n = 80) who received routine treatment. The patients were categorized into the vitamin K1 and control groups according to whether they had received intramuscular injection of vitamin K1 on the basis of conventional treatment. Baseline data were analyzed with χ(2) test and independent sample t-test; the survival curve of 48 weeks was created with Kaplan–Meier estimator. Correlation between death event and vitamin K1, age, sex, albumin (ALB), total bilirubin (TBIL), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was determined with the Cox proportional risk regression model. Fifty-seven Chinese patients were finally included in the analysis. Patients treated with vitamin K1 had a lower risk of death (hazards ratio [HR] 0.37, P = 0.009) than the control group (P = 0.006). Men had a higher risk of death (HR 2.97, P = 0.005). Age, ALB, TBIL, and ALP had a certain correlation with risk of death. Vitamin K1 reduced the international normalized ratio levels [P < 0.01 (95% confidence interval 0.000–0.002)]. Vitamin K1 may reduce the risk of death in patients with chronic liver failure. Male sex, age, ALB, TBIL, and ALP are potential risk factors for increased risk of death in these patients. Based on these findings, vitamin k1 can be used in patients with chronic liver failure. Prospective studies are still needed, however, to validate the role of vitamin K1 in the chronic liver failure.