Concentrating Human Milk: An innovative point-of-care device designed to increase human milk feeding options for preterm infants

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a point-of-care osmotic device concentrates important human milk (HM) nutrients to support feeding neonates requiring high-nutrient, low-volume feedings. STUDY DESIGN: Raw and pasteurized HM samples were concentrated to determine the effects of time and temperature on concentration. Concentrated samples were compared with matched baseline samples to measure changes in selected nutrient concentrations. Furthermore, changes in concentration of certain bioactive components of raw milk samples were measured. RESULT: The device significantly increased the concentrations of the majority of the measured nutrient and bioactive levels (P<0.05). Increasing temperature of HM from 4°C to 37°C increased the concentration rate >30%. In all cases, the concentration rate of pasteurized HM was greater than that of raw HM. CONCLUSION: The osmotic concentration of HM is a promising option for neonatal nutrition. Further studies are needed to establish an evidence base for the practical applications of this point-of-care device.