Oregon hospital tells grandpa he’s pregnant

Computer error caused staff to give 71-year-old man the happy news

Health care videos

Obama urges Dems to settle health differences
Dec. 6: President Barack Obama paid a visit to the Capitol during a rare weekend legislative session to ask Democratic lawmakers to work for compromise on health legislation. NBC’s Mike Viquiera reports.

Obama pushes health bill in Capitol stop

Reid: Obama pledges to help pass health reform

Republicans: Heath care bill 'partisan'

Obama’s visit to hasten health debate?

INTERACTIVE

Dose of reality
Do health care reform headlines leave you saying “huh?” Visit msnbc.com's guide to health reform and send us claims you'd like fact-checked.

updated 6:23 p.m. ET Sept. 26, 2008

PORTLAND, Ore. - A patient treated for agonizing abdominal pain received this surprising news in the hospital’s paperwork: “Based on your visit today, we know you are pregnant.”

Surprising indeed for 71-year-old John Grady Pippen.

The staff at Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach gave the retired mechanic and logger the ridiculously happy news this month, along with some pain pills.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Hospital administrator William McMillan says an errant keystroke caused the hospital’s computer to spit out the wrong discharge instructions for the grandfather.

Also in msnbc.com Health
No doctors allowed with do-it-yourself births
6 surprising heart attack triggers
No cell phone-brain tumor link, study finds
Dark shadows loom over ‘facilitated’ talk
Animal Tracks: Eye candy for animal lovers