Objective: To describe growth and clinical evolution of very low birth weight infants fed during hospital stay with milk from a human milk bank according to the caloric-protein value.
Method: Forty very low birth weight infants were included: 10 were fed milk from their own mothers (GI), and 30 were fed human milk bank > 700 cal/L and 2 g/dL of protein. Growth curves were adjusted using nonlinear regression to the measured growth parameters.
Results: full enteral diet was reached in 6.3 days by GI and in 10.8 by GII; a weight of 2 kg was reached in 7.3 weeks for GI and in 7.8 for GII. In GI, 3/10 (33.3%) and in GII, 7/30 (23.3%) developed sepsis. Necrotizing enterocolitis did not occur in GI, but in 3/30 (10.0%) in GII. GI presented with urinary calcium > 4 mg/L in 1/10 (10.0%), urinary phosphorus (Pu) <1 mg/L in 10/10 (100%), and Ca/Cr >0.6 ratio in 1/10 (10.0%) of the cases; in GII, no children presented alterations of the urinary calcium or the Ca and Cr ratio, and Pu was <1 mg/L in 19/30 (63.3%). In terms of growth the 50th percentile for GI was a weight gain of 12.1 g/day (GI) vs. 15.8 g/day (GII), a length gain of 0.75 cm/week (GI) vs. 1.02 cm/week (GII), and a head circumference gain of 0.74 cm/week (GI) vs. 0.76 cm/week (GII).
Conclusions: Human milk bank allowed a satisfactory growth and good clinical evolution for very low birth weight infants.
Keywords: Enteral nutrition; Human milk; Human milk bank; Infant nutrition; Premature infants.