Clinical Findings According to Feeding Diets in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: Human Breast Milk versus Bovine Milk-Based Formula

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to compare the clinical findings, including morbidity, duration of parenteral nutrition, and length of hospital stay between very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) fed bovine milk-based formula (BOV) and VLBWIs fed human breast milk (HBM) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods: VLBWIs admitted to the NICU of Dongsan Medical Center, Keimyung University, were enrolled. Infants born from March to August 2014 (n=28) were fed BOV (the BOV group), and those born from September to December 2014 (n=18) were fed HBM (the HBM group). Pasteurized (heating at 62.5˚C for 30 minutes) donor human milk was used if the mother’s own milk was not available because of insufficient breast milk production. Results: The gestational age (28.0±1.7 weeks vs. 27.8±1.4 weeks) and birth weight (1,055±265 g vs. 1,175±187 g), of the infants in the BOV and HBM, groups were similar. In addition, perinatal characteristics were similar between the groups. The duration of parenteral nutrition (36.4 days vs. 24.1 days, P=0.038), length of hospital stay (74.3 days vs.61.1 days, P=0.037), and incidence of nosocomial sepsis (53.6% vs. 22.2%, P= 0.035), significantly differed between the BOV and HBM groups. Furthermore, the frequency of feeding intolerance was higher in the BOV group than in the HBM group, but this difference was not significant. Perinatal cytomegalovirus infection was not detected in any of the infants fed pasteurized donor human milk. Conclusion: Human-breast-milk-based diet for VLBWIs significantly reduces the incidence of nosocomial sepsis, duration of parenteral nutrition, and length of hospital stay.