Optimal Distribution and Utilization of Donated Human Breast Milk.
Judith H Simpson, Lorna McKerracher, Andrew Cooper and 4 others
PMID 27364932WHAT IT FOUND
In 20 infants, sorting donated milk by energy content projected higher cumulative energy intake only when middle or high energy was assumed for categories, not when low energy was assumed.
Key findings
01Energy content of 85 donated milk samples varied from 53 to 114 kcal/100 mL, with a median of 72 kcal/100 mL.
02Projected cumulative energy intake from donated milk was higher than actual intake when category energy was assumed to be median or maximum, but not when it was assumed to be minimum.
03Seventeen of 20 babies would have a higher cumulative energy intake if they received either medium or high energy content milk from each category.
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 projected intakes; it did not deliver the proposed distribution system prospectively or test it in real time. It included 20 babies from one donor milk bank, so the projected effect may not apply elsewhere. The projected benefit changed with the energy value assumed for each milk category, and the minimum-energy projection was not significantly different from actual intake. Some babies also received parenteral nutrition or alternative milk, so this analysis cannot separate the contribution of donated milk distribution from those other feeds. The study looked only at energy intake from donated milk, not protein intake, growth, tolerance, infection, or longer-term outcomes. Parents were not asked for consent because it was treated as a service evaluation, although medical records review was permitted.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this system has been shown to improve infants' energy intake or growth in practice. The study compared actual intake with projected intake under different assumptions about milk energy content, and it did not test the distribution system prospectively or measure clinical outcomes.