Research Thursday. Impact of the 2022 Infant Formula Shortage on Neonatal Intensive Care Units
February 13, 2025
Here is the citation.
James-Davis, Drumm C, Krick J, et al. Impact of the 2022 Infant Formula Shortage on Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Breastfeed Med. 2024;19(11):881-884. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2024.0127
Here is the PubMed link. This is not an open-access article.
Here are some thoughts.
The authors conducted this study using an online survey distributed by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (SONPM). Only medical directors of NICUs were asked to respond and 139 did. Of the NICUs, 39% of the medical directors responded that their NICUs were affected. (I’m guessing because they used Abbott products?) Approximately 1,424 NICUs exist in the United States.
Several limitations of the study became apparent right off the bat: it is unknown how many medical directors of NICUs are members of SONPM. Also, it is unknown how many NICUs are represented within the membership of the SONPM. However the value of this study is that it gives a glimpse into what went on in NCIUs during the infant formula shortage and, at the end of the article, the authors offer suggestions for improvements should this happen again. Improving the availability of pasteurized donor human milk in NICUs is discussed.