CATCH (Canadian Assessment of Tomography for Childhood Head injury) Rule
Predicts clinically significant head injuries in children.
Use in patients up to 16 yrs with minor head injury and initial Glasgow Coma Scale at least 13, injury within 24 hrs, plus at least one of the following: blunt trauma with witnessed LOC, amnesia, witnessed disorientation, vomiting 2+ times at least 15 mins apart, persistent irritability if under 2 years old. Do NOT use if: penetrating skull injury, depressed fx, focal neuro deficit, developmental delay, child abuse, re-eval after prior head injury, pregnant patient. Note: We recommend using PECARN, as it is more widely validated.
Result:
Martin H. Osmond, MD, is a pediatric emergency physician at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). He is also the CEO and scientific director of the CHEO Research Institute. Dr. Osmond’s areas of research interest are the evaluation and management of pediatric head injuries and the use of pre-hospital care in the treatment of ill and injured children.
- Diana Fleisher, MD