‘Human Milk Bank (HMB): The Journey till Now and the Road Ahead’: A Retrospective Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Centre of Western India

Abstract

Background: In the era of the 21st Century, Human Milk Bank (HMB) is making its tortoise steps towards revolution. The goals and objectives of this study is to compare five years of data between the Pre Human Milk Bank phase (2018–2021) and Post Human Milk Bank phase (2021–2023) in order to evaluate the morbidity and mortality profile of neonates fed with PDHM (pasteurized donor human milk) or MOM (Mother’s Own Milk). Methods: A retrospective observational study was done in HMB, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Gmers Medical College, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Data obtained retrospectively comparing pre-HMB Phase (4th August, 2018–3rd August, 2021) and post-HMB Phase (4th August, 2021–3rd August, 2023). Results: Around 1822 newborns benefited from the establishment of the HMB and 2.89 lakh ml of milk from 188 donor mothers were gathered during the study. Bacterial contamination of PDHM was reduced. There was a reduction in mortality and morbidity profiles like sepsis rate, NEC/Feed intolerance and ROP. Duration of NICU stay was improved in all preterm babies. Conclusions: In this study, mortality and morbidity outcomes improved and sepsis decreased after the establishment of the HMB with reduced time to reach full feeds and shorter hospital stay. It helps significantly in NEC cases. We concluded that the creation of an HMB will be more advantageous and useful for all preterm babies in order to achieve better results.