Politics

An 11-Day-Old Baby Couldn’t Stop Bleeding. For Hours, the ER Didn’t Provide a Critical Vitamin Shot.

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 08/11/2026, 11:24:25 UTC.

Briefings

An 11-day-old newborn named Gwen Biesenbach suffered from umbilical cord stump bleeding that persisted for nearly three hours despite multiple attempts by emergency room doctor Nicole Malouf. The family declined a standard vitamin K injection at birth, relying instead on oral drops, which led to a 347% increase in deficiency bleeding rates between 2017 and 2025. Malouf used seven different treatments including silver nitrate cauterization before transferring the infant to a local hospital. The case highlights a shift in medical practice where families distrust vitamin K shots, potentially causing preventable deaths.

Key points

• Emergency room doctor Nicole Malouf treated Gwen Biesenbach for umbilical cord stump bleeding using seven different methods including silver nitrate cauterization over nearly three hours.
• The family declined a vitamin K injection at birth, relying on oral drops instead, which contributed to a 347% increase in deficiency bleeding rates between 2017 and 2025.

Context

This case involves a Texas family who declined a vitamin K injection at birth, leading to a 347% increase in deficiency bleeding rates between 2017 and 2025. The story highlights a shift in medical practice where families distrust vitamin K shots, potentially causing preventable deaths.

Limitations

Evidence covers a single incident at a freestanding ER in New Braunfels, Texas, in August 2023. Data on vitamin K deficiency bleeding rates is limited to a 2025 study period and includes uncertainty regarding long-term outcomes. No additional background on the broader impact of vitamin K shot decline is supplied.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 08/11/2026, 12:00:34 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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