Yesterday was the deadline for House members to submit FY 11 funding requests to the Appropriations Committee. The National Trauma Institute would like to thank several members for requesting FY 11 funds on our behalf to support important research related to hemorrhage. Texas Representatives Charles Gonzalez, Ciro Rodriguez and Solomon Ortiz each submitted a request for $4.5 million to generate research to develop life-saving interventions and devices that will reduce death and disability following traumatic injury that results in hemorrhage.
In their requests, the representatives acknowledged that promising technologies have been identified but require additional research and testing before they can be used successfully in the field—whether to mitigate battlefield or civilian injuries.
Identified as the Army’s top medical research priority, hemorrhage is also responsible for 30% to 40% of U.S. civilian deaths related to traumatic injury. Development of an effective treatment can decrease the rate of late complications and mortality and improve outcomes for untold numbers of trauma victims.
Funding requests are considered later in the year as Congress works through the budget process, and our hope is that, with support from three representatives, NTI will be awarded funding at some level.