Strange CT results

[SapphireJulzRN]

During my shift tonight, one of my coworker's patients was to go down for an abdominal CT scan. The patient is male and in his mid 80s.

Later on around 0300, the preliminary results were faxed to our floor. My coworker shows me the results and asks what I think. So I'm reading through everything and basically everything is negative. Then at the bottom it says: Other Findings-- placenta megaly.

Wait...what? We all look at each other, baffled, and take the results to the charge nurse. He says he has no clue. Male, mid 80s...placenta megaly. Doesn't add up.

Any thoughts?

[vanilla bean]

My thoughts are either results from another CT were dictated or resulted to this man's chart, or it's a typo. I used to work with a physician that dictated his notes via a program in which he would narrate his notes and the computer program would type his narration as he spoke. We used to find some very odd "lost in translation" stuff in his notes.

Did anyone call down to radiology to inquire or alert them to the discrepancy?

[SapphireJulzRN]

Did anyone call down to radiology to inquire or alert them to the discrepancy?

During off hours, CT and MRI are read somewhere outside our facility and preliminary results are faxed to us. When the doc gets here in the morning, he/she sends the final report.

[Dranger]

Probably an error during dictation, I see them from time to time.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

yep.....dictation error...happens more than you would expect!...Radiology an add an addendum correcting the error.

[Bobjohnny]

I used to work with a physician that dictated his notes via a program in which he would narrate his notes and the computer program would type his narration as he spoke. We used to find some very odd "lost in translation" stuff in his notes.

Our ED uses this. One of our docs has actually started searching this out and is presenting it at the next provider meeting. Imagine if you had to defend that chart in court. Couple of my favorites: "Dr. X accepts. She will suck the patient." "Patient has lacerations to bilateral after meals."

This could be a possibility.

[vanilla bean]

Couple of my favorites: "Dr. X accepts. She will suck the patient." "Patient has lacerations to bilateral after meals."