Eight-year operation status and data analysis of the first human milk bank in East China

Abstract

Background Human milk banks (HMBs) are essential facilities for the selection, collection, testing, transportation,storage, and distribution of DHM for special medical needs. The aim of this analysis was to analyze the operation status and data over the last 8 years of operation of the first human milk bank (HMB) in East China. Methods Data related to the costs, donors, donation, pasteurization, and recipients were extracted from the web-based electronic monitoring system of the HMB for the period August 1, 2013 to July 31, 2021. Results Over the 8 years of operation, 1,555 qualified donors donated 7,396.5L of qualified milk at a cost of ¥1.94 million($306,051), with the average cost per liter of donor human milk being ¥262.3($41.4). The donors were between 25 and 30 years of age, and the majority (80.1%) were primipara. All the donated milk was pasteurized and subjected to bacteriological tests before and after pasteurization: 95.4% passed the pre-pasteurization tests, and 96.3% passed the post-pasteurization tests. A total of 9,207 newborns received 5,775.2L of pasteurized donor milk. The main reason for the prescription of donor human milk was preterm birth. As a result of continuous quality improvements, January 2016 witnessed a significant increase in the volume of qualified DHM and the number of qualified donors. However, in 2020, as a result of the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume of qualified DHM and the number of qualified donors decreased. Conclusions Over its 8 years of operation, our HMB has made steady quality improvements in its screening and information processes. Continuous quality improvement is on ongoing need, along with recruiting more qualified donors and collecting donor human milk for vulnerable newborns.

Operation Status of the Mutual Aid Human Milk Bank for Preterm Infants and Data Analysis

“…Our donors ranged from 25 to 35 years, and approximately 70% of the donors were primiparae, which is similar to the characteristics of the donor population reported in literature. 17,[32][33][34] As our hospital is a referral center for high-risk pregnancies in Hangzhou and surrounding areas, donors undergoing cesarean section accounted for a high proportion (up to 68.55%), which differed from what was reported in Mainland China, 17 but is similar to what was reported in Vietnam (up to 57%). 33 Most donors had a junior college education or below, which is similar to a study in India, 38 indicating that women with low education levels can also be motivated to donate human milk.…”

“…The recipients of the donated human milk in this study were preterm infants, and 84.7% received donated human milk for less than 15 days (9.4 days on average), which was longer than the duration reported in Nanjing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital and Da Nang Hospital in Vietnam, 33,34 but much shorter than that reported in Scotland and Taiwan, 32,39 most likely because most of the mothers could produce sufficient human milk for feeding after a certain point in time. In this study, we also discovered that the duration of receiving the donated human milk was no more than 25% of the total hospital stay, indicating that the donated human milk provided temporary support in case of insufficient maternal milk, and could give the corresponding mothers time to establish their own milk supply.…”

Differences in the Microbiological Profile of Raw and Pasteurized Breastmilk from Hospital and Community-Based Donors at the First Human Milk Bank in Vietnam

“…Compared to figures from other Asian HMBs, Da Nang HMB had a higher prevalence of preterm birthing among hospital donors [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. This is a special characteristic of Da Nang HMB.…”