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What's the difference if I'm calling report and I say diverticulitis and the ct scan shows diverticulosis?

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If I'm understanding it correctly, diverticulosis is the presence of 'pockets' while diverticulitis is inflammation of the 'pockets.' So if you said -otis once would maybe expect pt to present with pain, fever, or other s/sx of inflammation versus just having diverticulosis.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Active infection vs. a chronic condition that does not necessarily require intervention.

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I was just feeling some sort of way last night. When I tell someone symptoms r xyz and I'm giving them iv atb. I just felt like potato/potatoe. Maybe next time I'll just abbreviate it to divertic lolol

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Specializes in ER.

Diverticulosis is has the potential to become diverticulitis, which is the infection of the diverticulae (the outpouchings in the colon).

It's kind of like having diabetes vs diabetic ketoacidosis. One is just a condition and the other is a medical problem that, like Altra said, requires an intervention to correct.

:-)

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I'm not sure what you're asking, but the diagnosis of diverticulitis can be made based on history and physical alone, with labs and imaging to rule out other causes of the symptoms. So if the patient's admitting diagnosis was diverticulitis, then that's what you give in report. The doc has already made the diagnosis. It's not up to you to "prove it" to the floor nurse, and it's inappropriate for them to question you on that. Sorry if I'm reading more in to your post than there is.

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We were both reading the ct report, I said diverticulitis and I was stopped, criticized and corrected because it was diverticulosis. I was just thinking is this really that big of a deal? Especially when I tell u they presented with this... Here's the symptoms. And ur reading the same thing I am.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
We were both reading the ct report, I said diverticulitis and I was stopped, criticized and corrected because it was diverticulosis. I was just thinking is this really that big of a deal? Especially when I tell u they presented with this... Here's the symptoms. And ur reading the same thing I am.

It is kinda a big deal ... active infection vs. a condition which is chronic ... two different conditions.

As a parallel example ... many of us are walking around with cholelithiasis vs. cholecystitis ... which probably means you have an upcoming date with a surgeon.

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We were both reading the ct report, I said diverticulitis and I was stopped, criticized and corrected because it was diverticulosis. I was just thinking is this really that big of a deal? Especially when I tell u they presented with this... Here's the symptoms. And ur reading the same thing I am.

Okay, yes there is a difference, as stated in the post above.

However, it is possible to have diverticulitis without radiologic evidence. So even though the CT said "diverticulosis" does not mean the person does not have diverticulitis. If the person has a history of diverticulitis and is having the symptoms of diverticulitis, they may have come in early enough that inflammation is not radiologically evident.

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What's the difference if I'm calling report and I say diverticulitis and the ct scan shows diverticulosis?

Kind of an odd question- not sure what giving report has to do with the diference between the two.

But, to answer your question:

1- Significantly different. One gets treated, the other does not. Also, very different diets.

2- Sounds like you were dealing with an unhappy, cranky, floor nurse.

3- This goes to one of my pet peeves- why on earth do we give a verbal report when the information is easily accessed on the computer? It is a silly waste of time.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

Hubs was just dx with this today :/

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If I was saying. Sally jones, 58 f with no gi history is being admitted for diverticulitis (per admitting doc). Sunday started abd cramping. And is now noticing every time she has a bm, it is bright red, watery and clotty, much like a heavy menses in appearance. Only with bm, no active bleeding. 2 iv atb's, no fever. I say diverticulitis but ct says diverticulosis.

I know there's a difference between the two dx but I guess I really didn't know, in terms of report, that it was THAT big of a deal.

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