III
114th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 408
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 17, 2016
Mr. Sessions (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Designating April 2016 as National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month
.
Whereas congenital diaphragmatic hernia (referred to in this preamble as CDH
) occurs in individuals in which the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs to migrate into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth;
Whereas the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes CDH as a birth defect;
Whereas the majority of CDH patients suffer from underdeveloped lungs or poor pulmonary function;
Whereas babies born with CDH endure extended hospital stays in intensive care with multiple surgeries;
Whereas CDH patients often endure long-term complications, such as pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary hypoplasia, asthma, gastrointestinal reflux, feeding disorders, and developmental delays;
Whereas CDH survivors sometimes endure long-term mechanical ventilation dependency, skeletal malformations, supplemental oxygen dependency, enteral and parenteral nutrition, and hypoxic brain injury;
Whereas CDH is treated through mechanical ventilation, a heart and lung bypass (commonly known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
), machines, and surgical repair;
Whereas surgical repair is often not a permanent solution for CDH and can lead to reherniation and require additional surgery;
Whereas CDH is diagnosed in utero in less than 50 percent of cases;
Whereas infants born with CDH have a high mortality rate, ranging from 20 to 60 percent, depending on the severity of the defect and interventions available at delivery;
Whereas CDH has a rate of occurrence of 1 in every 3,836 live births worldwide;
Whereas in the United States, CDH affects approximately 1,088 babies each year;
Whereas since 2000, CDH has affected more than 700,000 babies worldwide;
Whereas CDH does not discriminate based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status;
Whereas the cause of CDH is unknown;
Whereas the average CDH survivor will face postnatal care that totals not less than $100,000; and
Whereas Federal support for CDH research at the National Institutes of Health for 2015 is estimated to be not more than $3,300,000: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
designates April 2016 as National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month
;
encourages that steps should be taken—
to raise awareness of and increase public knowledge about congenital diaphragmatic hernia (referred to in this resolving clause as CDH
);
to inform all people of the United States about the dangers of CDH, especially groups of people that may be disproportionately affected by CDH or have lower survival rates;
to disseminate information on the importance of quality neonatal care of CDH patients;
to promote quality prenatal care and ultrasounds to detect CDH in utero; and
to support research funding of CDH—
to improve screening and treatment for CDH;
to discover the causes of CDH; and
to develop a cure for CDH; and
calls on the people of the United States, interest groups, and affected persons—
to promote awareness of CDH;
to take an active role in the fight against this devastating birth defect; and
to observe National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.