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— (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.