Pasteurized Donor Milk Access Cuts NEC by 38% in Australian Preterms
Observational pre-post analysis links donor milk rollout to 38% NEC drop without displacing maternal breastfeeding. Systems-level expansion highlights scalable NICU protection for highest-risk preterms. Next steps require RCTs and mortality tracking to confirm causality and long-term outcomes.
The study compared outcomes from 2018-2020 using Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network data before and after donor milk availability. NEC incidence fell from baseline rates while sepsis, mortality, and breastfeeding at discharge showed no change. This pre-post design captured real-world NICU adoption but could not isolate milk effects from concurrent care improvements. Demand reached 4,800 liters annually across 45 hospitals, filling a gap where three-quarters of very preterm infants previously lacked access. The intervention targets infants under 32 weeks whose mothers' supply is still establishing, aligning with WHO recommendations for donor milk as bridge nutrition rather than replacement. Under-covered logistics of Sydney and Brisbane milk banks enabled immediate bedside impact missed by policy-only reporting.
Lifeblood: National coverage of all 50+ NICUs by 2027 will push NEC incidence below 4% for infants under 28 weeks.
Sources (2)
- [1]Primary Source(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpc.16789)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240066494)