Congressional Pediatric Trauma Caucus Raises Awareness about Injuries in Youth Sports
Neurosurgeons Commend Reps. Hudson and Butterfield for their Efforts to Strengthen Pediatric Trauma System
Washington, DC—The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological
Surgeons (CNS) applaud congressional Pediatric Trauma Caucus co-chairs Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and
G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) for hosting a “back to school” themed briefing to discuss pediatric trauma and youth
sports. Initially launched in May, the Pediatric Trauma Caucus aims to identify strategies for strengthening the
nation’s pediatric trauma system and reducing traumatic injuries in children.
Annually, more than 10 million children require emergency department care for the evaluation and treatment of
traumatic injuries. The economic costs of pediatric trauma — including hospital and other ongoing costs related to
lifelong disability and requisite skilled care in this sizeable cohort — are significant: $14 billion in lifetime medical
spending and $66 billion in present and future work losses.
Shelly D. Timmons, MD, PhD, FAANS, director of neurotrauma at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and chair
of the AANS/CNS Washington Committee, participated in the briefing. Recognized as an expert in neurotrauma,
Dr. Timmons, who formerly chaired the AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care, fully understands
the importance of neurosurgeons taking a lead role in the prevention, management and treatment of traumatic
injuries.
“Since pediatric trauma is the number one killer of children in the United States, we must act now to reverse this
trend,” Dr. Timmons observed. “Children are not just ‘little adults’ and differences exist between the developing
immature brain and the mature adult brain. The impact of the types of injury and the considerations related to acute
care and recovery vary accordingly, and thus, our systems of care must accommodate these differences.”
Neurosurgeons have long been involved in the diagnosis and care of individuals with traumatic injuries, and the
specialty’s neurotrauma experts are furthering knowledge on traumatic brain and spinal cord injury through clinical
and basic science research. Additionally, the profession has helped shaped current guidelines for the evaluation and
treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is actively involved in developing public policy related to TBI,
concussions and spinal cord injuries. Given the magnitude of the issue and the impact on society, the AANS and
CNS launched a #ConcussionFacts awareness campaign, created a Neurosurgery Blog series called “Hard Knocks”
and neurosurgeons work closely with the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation.
“Organized neurosurgery is steadfast in our commitment to raising awareness about traumatic injuries to ensure the
safety of the public,” said Dr. Timmons. “We thank Reps. Hudson and Butterfield for their leadership on the issue
of pediatric trauma and believe today’s discussion is a positive step in the right direction.”
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