Hygienic-sanitary quality of donated human milk in terms of the donor profile and pumping site.
Ana Carolina de Prima Souza, Ana Carolina Lavio Rocha, Lucíola Sant'Anna de Castro and 4 others
PMID 39821221WHAT IT FOUND
In 14,824 donated human milk samples, milk expressed at home failed hygienic checks more often than milk expressed in hospital collection stations.
Mothers expressing at home need clear hygiene, storage and transport guidance.
Key findings
01Of 14,824 donated human milk samples, 66.4% came from non-exclusive donors and 77.3% were pumped at home.
02Home pumping was related to physical contamination and changes in acidity.
03Among samples with altered microbiological results, 76.3% were from non-exclusive donors, and home pumping was also associated with altered microbiological results.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used retrospective records and a cross-sectional design, so it can show associations but cannot prove that home pumping caused poorer milk quality. It analysed records from one university hospital human milk bank in Brazil, so the findings describe that bank's donors and processes. The study did not follow infants or measure clinical outcomes, so it says nothing about whether these quality changes harmed premature babies. Exclusive donations were fewer than non-exclusive donations, which may limit comparison between the two groups. Records with incomplete donor or infant birth dates were excluded, so some donation records were not analysed. Microbiological analysis was performed after heat treatment, so the results describe quality control of pasteurized samples rather than raw home milk microbiology before treatment.
Declared interests
The work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) edital UNIFESP n. 153/2020 and Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação Científica PIBIC 2019/2020. No commercial sponsor or competing interest is stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the home-pumping findings as proof that home pumping causes unsafe milk. The study was retrospective and cross-sectional, did not randomise pumping site, and did not measure infant outcomes.