Pasteurized Donor Human Milk Maintains Microbiological Purity for 4 Days at 4°C.

Background: Most protective components in human milk are stable during prolonged storage at 4ºC; however, pasteurization reduces some microbicidal activities responsible for suppressing microbial growth and protecting against infection. Donor milk used by neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is frozen pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) defrosted and stored at 4ºC. Current Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) Best Practice guidelines recommend that milk be discarded 24 hours after being thawed, but experimental data on the duration of microbiological purity in thawed PDHM are sparse.

Comparison of lipid and calorie loss from donor human milk among 3 methods of simulated gavage feeding: one-hour, 2-hour, and intermittent gravity feedings.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the differences in lipid loss from 24 samples of banked donor human milk (DHM) among 3 feeding methods: DHM given by syringe pump over 1 hour, 2 hours, and by bolus/gravity gavage.

Design: Comparative, descriptive. There were no human subjects.