[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 408--DESIGNATING APRIL 2016 AS ``NATIONAL CONGENITAL 
                 DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. SESSIONS (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 408

       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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates April 2016 as ``National Congenital 
     Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month'';
       (2) encourages that steps should be taken--
       (A) to raise awareness of and increase public knowledge 
     about congenital diaphragmatic hernia (referred to in this 
     resolving clause as ``CDH'');
       (B) 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;
       (C) to disseminate information on the importance of quality 
     neonatal care of CDH patients;
       (D) to promote quality prenatal care and ultrasounds to 
     detect CDH in utero; and
       (E) to support research funding of CDH--
       (i) to improve screening and treatment for CDH;
       (ii) to discover the causes of CDH; and
       (iii) to develop a cure for CDH; and
       (3) calls on the people of the United States, interest 
     groups, and affected persons--
       (A) to promote awareness of CDH;
       (B) to take an active role in the fight against this 
     devastating birth defect; and
       (C) to observe National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia 
     Awareness Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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