WIP 42 - Seasonal Variations in Donor Breast Milk Storage Time in a Single Academic Unit

Publication Number: WIP 42.7546

Christine J. Woodburn, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Mount Pleasant, SC, United States; Katherine Chetta, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Mary L. Galemmo, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States; Allison Rohrer, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Wrenn Tiernan, MUSC Children's Hospital, Summerville, SC, United States; Alison K. Chapman, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston, SC, United States; Allison B. Frederick, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, John's Island, SC, United States

Background: No peer-reviewed studies have characterized the storage time of banked donor human milk (DHM) administered in an academic hospital, received by critically ill preterm neonates. This study further describes the variability in storage time of banked donor human milk by season, which was previously unknown.

Objective: This study was designed to determine the seasonal variation among storage times, in days, of banked DHM over a 3-year observation period from 2022-2024.

Design/Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of the variation of storage times of donor breast milk at an academic hospital. Storage time was determined by the difference between date of expression and order date from January-March, April-June, July-September, and October-December per year. Data will be interpreted using univariate analyses with t-tests and ANOVA, significance was determined as p < 0.05. Completion of collected data by January 2025, and the final interpretation of results will be complete by February 2025.