III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 115 

Designating April 2015 as ‘‘National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia 

Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 25, 2015 

Mr. SESSIONS (for himself and Mr. CARDIN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating April 2015 as ‘‘National Congenital 

Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas congenital diaphragmatic hernia (referred to in this 

preamble as ‘‘CDH’’) occurs when the diaphragm fails to 

fully form, allowing abdominal organs to migrate into the 

chest cavity and preventing lung growth; 

Whereas 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, 


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•SRES 115 ATS 

asthma, gastrointestinal reflex, 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 3,800 

live births worldwide; 

Whereas CDH affects approximately 1,088 babies each year 

in the United States; 

Whereas CDH has affected more than 700,000 babies worldwide since 2000; 

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 

of at least $100,000; and 


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•SRES 115 ATS 

Whereas Federal support for CDH research at the National 

Institutes of Health for 2014 is estimated to be not more 

than $2,500,000: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates April 2015 as ‘‘National Con3 genital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month’’; 

4 (2) encourages that steps should be taken to— 

5 (A) raise awareness of and increase public 

6 knowledge about congenital diaphragmatic her7 nia (referred to in this resolution as ‘‘CDH’’); 

8 (B) inform all Americans about the dan9 gers of CDH, especially those groups that may 

10 be disproportionately affected by CDH or have 

11 lower survival rates; 

12 (C) disseminate information on the impor13 tance of quality neonatal care of CDH patients; 

14 (D) promote quality prenatal care and 

15 ultrasounds to detect CDH in utero; and 

16 (E) support research funding of CDH to— 

17 (i) improve screening and treatment 

18 for CDH; 

19 (ii) discover the causes of CDH; and 

20 (iii) develop a cure for CDH; and 

21 (3) calls on the people of the United States, in22 terest groups, and affected persons to— 

23 (A) promote awareness of CDH; 


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•SRES 115 ATS 

1 (B) take an active role in the fight against 

2 this devastating birth defect; and 

3 (C) observe National Congenital Diaphrag4 matic Hernia Awareness Month with appro5 priate ceremonies and activities. 

Æ 


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