Pat Thomas inquired about the proces of skimming milk for a baby with a
complication after heart surgery. It is a simple process, and can be done
in one of two ways. Simply stated, the milk can be separated into layers
of "cream" and "skim" milk by using a centrifuge, the way dairies do.
After the milk is spun, the cream can either be aspirated off the top,
leaving behind the skim milk, or the cream can be drained out of the tube
which leaves behind the cream.
Either way, the milk that is skim is 0.02% long chain fatty acids.
Portagen formula, which is routinely used for the condition Pat mentions,
(Chylothorax), is 14%.
Since heart surgeries are becoming more common by the day, the condition of
chylothoraxes is also seen more frequently in the hospitals. It can also
be a congenital condition or a complication of any thoracic surgery. The
damaged gland sometimes heals fine with the use of Portagen, but in other
more severe cases, even the 14% long chain fatty acids are too much, and
the gland cannot heal.
I can supply the step by step instructions, which include the speed of the
centrifuging, lab results of the anaylzed milk samples, timing, etc. to
whomever desires it. It can also be electronically sent, but it is a large
file (4 megs) because of the photographs. It can also be sent snail mail.
It is in the process of being written up for journal publications. I have
also written a prose style story of how we came to know so much about this
process. The whole story is written about my son, and the chylothorax he
developed after he had open heart surgery last year.
If I can be of any help, please contact me. Connie Carslile, RN, IBCLC
originally came up with the idea in 1995, and we just adapted her
information.
PS After being very critical in ICU for 3 months with this condition, and
receiving my skim breastmilk for a total of 5 months while waiting for the
gland to heal, my son is now 20 months and far surpassing anyone's wildest
expectations. He took his first steps last week.
Trish Whitehouse,BSN, LLL, and proud mama.
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