Template:ICD10 Guideline Trauma w mechanism

Explanation of trauma and mechanism co-coding.

Traumas and their Mechanisms

In ICD10, traumas need to be combined with separate mechanism codes to fully explain the situation.

Here are lists of the codes for "mechanical" injuries to various body parts:
- some codes are always traumatic and always need a mechanism:

Trauma codes:
Abdomen or lower back or pelvis NOS, wound/injury/trauma Abdomen or lower back or pelvis, nerves NOS, injury/trauma Abdomen or lower back or pelvis, soft tissues, open wound, injury/trauma Abdomen or lower back or pelvis, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Abdomen or pelvic, blood vessels NOS, injury/trauma Air embolism, traumatic Ankle or foot or toes, amputation, injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, blood vessels, wound/injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, fracture, injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, muscles/tendons, wound/injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, nerves, wound/injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, open wound, injury/trauma Ankle or foot or toes, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Ankle or foot or toes, wound/injury/trauma, NOS Aorta, abdominal, injury/trauma Aorta, thoracic, injury/trauma Bladder, traumatic laceration/rupture Bladder, wound/injury/trauma Brain injury, diffuse (TBI), injury/trauma Brain injury, focal (TBI), injury/trauma Brain, cerebral edema, injury/trauma Brain, concussion, injury/trauma Brain/intracranial injury NOS, injury/trauma Carotid artery, injury/trauma Clavicle or scapula or humerus, fracture, injury/trauma Colon (large intestine), traumatic laceration/rupture Colon (large intestine), wound/injury trauma Cranial nerve, wound/injury/trauma Ear, foreign body in Eardrum (tympanic membrane), rupture, injury/trauma Elbow or forearm, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Elbow or forearm, wound/injury/trauma, NOS Elbow, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Elbow, open wound, injury/trauma Epidural hemorrhage, injury/trauma Esophagus, wound/injury/trauma Eye (globe), wound/injury/trauma Eye, foreign body in Fat embolism, traumatic Femur, fracture, injury/trauma Flail chest, injury/trauma Forearm, amputation, injury/trauma Forearm, blood vessels, wound/injury/trauma Forearm, muscles/tendons, wound/injury/trauma Forearm, nerves, wound/injury/trauma Forearm, open wound, injury/trauma Gallbladder or bile ducts, traumatic laceration/rupture Gallbladder or bile ducts, wound/injury/trauma Gastrointestinal (GI) tract, foreign body in Genitorurinary tract, foreign body in Head NOS, wound/injury/trauma Head bones NOS, fracture, injury/trauma Head, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Head, open wound, injury/trauma Head, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Heart, wound/injury/trauma Hemothorax, traumatic Hip or thigh, amputation, injury/trauma Hip or thigh, blood vessels, wound/injury/trauma Hip or thigh, muscles/tendons, wound/injury/trauma Hip or thigh, nerves, wound/injury/trauma Hip or thigh, open wound, injury/trauma Hip or thigh, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Hip or thigh, wound/injury/trauma, NOS Hip, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Inferior vena cava (IVC), injury/trauma Intra-abdominal organ NOS, wound/injury/trauma NOS Intracranial hemorrhage, injury/trauma Intrathoracic organ/structure NOS, wound/injury/laceration Kidney, wound/injury/trauma Knee or lower leg, blood vessels, wound/injury/trauma Knee or lower leg, muscles/tendons, wound/injury/trauma Knee or lower leg, open wound, injury/trauma Knee or lower leg, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Knee or lower leg, wound/injury/trauma, NOS Knee, joint or ligaments or cartilage, dislocation/sprain/strain/tear, injury/trauma Knee, nerves, wound/injury/trauma Liver, wound/injury/trauma Lower leg, amputation, injury/trauma Lower leg, fracture, injury/trauma Lower limb (leg) bones, level not specified/NOS, fracture, injury/trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, amputation, injury/trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, blood vessels, wound/injury/trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, muscles/tendons, wound/injury/trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, nerves, wound/injury/trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, open wound, injury trauma Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) Lower limb (leg), level not specified/NOS, wound/injury/trauma, NOS Lumbar spine or pelvis, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Lung NOS, wound/injury/trauma Multiple trauma Muscle, strain Neck structures NOS, wound/injury/trauma Neck, blood vessels NOS, injury/trauma Neck, joints or ligaments, dislocation/sprain/strain, injury/trauma Neck, nerves NOS, injury/trauma Neck, open wound, injury/trauma Neck, superficial injury/trauma (minor, contusion) ... further results

Other codes may or may not be of a traumatic nature; these also qualify to be coded with trauma mechanisms listed below:

Potential trauma codes:
Lightning injury Respiratory tract, foreign body in

Here is a list of the external mechanism or agent that caused the trauma:

Mechanism codes:
Mechanism of injury: animal rider or occupant of animal-drawn vehicle Mechanism of injury: assault with bodily force Mechanism of injury: bus occupant Mechanism of injury: crushed or jammed or pinched in or between objects Mechanism of injury: driver or occupant of ATV or off-road vehicle or snowmobile Mechanism of injury: driver or occupant of watercraft Mechanism of injury: explosion Mechanism of injury: fall or jump (not necessarily from a height) Mechanism of injury: firearm (GSW) Mechanism of injury: hanging or strangulation (accidental or intentional) Mechanism of injury: hypodermic needle Mechanism of injury: knife or other sharp object, stabbing Mechanism of injury: machinery Mechanism of injury: motorcyclist Mechanism of injury: occupant or driver of car or truck Mechanism of injury: other NOS Mechanism of injury: pedal cyclist vs powered vehicle Mechanism of injury: pedal cyclist, not with powered vehicle Mechanism of injury: pedestrian vs powered vehicle Mechanism of injury: pilot or occupant of aircraft Mechanism of injury: struck by an inanimate moving object/blunt trauma Mechanism of injury: train occupant Mechanism of injury: transport or vehicle accident NOS

Regarding Multiple Trauma

When a person has multiple body areas traumatized, code Multiple trauma
When using Multiple trauma also code the individual things traumatized, e.g. leg, arm, head, etc.
Code Multiple trauma and all the individual things traumatized as Combined ICD10 codes
- And in this case, assuming that they all have the same mechanism of injury (e.g. Mechanism of injury: motorcyclist), then you'd also code that Mechanism code as the same Combined ICD10 codes.
If the multiple trauma is the primary admit diagnosis, then among this group of linked ICD10 codes, the Primary Admit Diagnosis would be either the Multiple trauma or the "worst" thing injured, e.g. Brain injury, diffuse (TBI), injury/trauma

Iatrogenic injuries

Some iatrogenic codes are self-explanatory for what occurred. For example Iatrogenic, air embolism, as complication of line/infusion/transfusion/injection. But for others, such as Iatrogenic, puncture or laceration, related to a procedure or surgery NOS it's not clear what happened, i.e. what was iatrogenically injured.
- In these latter cases, with just one exception, DO NOT also code a trauma code for what was iatrogenically injured. This is because iatrogenic injuries are technically not considered to be traumas.
  - that one exception is you should code Rib fracture(s) due to CPR in the context of CPR, cardiac resuscitation.
- Instead, combine the iatrogenic code with another ICD10 code indicating the body part involved.
  - e.g. for iatrogenic laceration of a pulmonary artery, combine: Iatrogenic, puncture or laceration, related to a procedure or surgery NOS with Disorder of pulmonary vessels, NOS. See list of NOS codes in ICD10.

Template:ICD10 Guideline Trauma w mechanism

Traumas and their Mechanisms

Regarding Multiple Trauma

Iatrogenic injuries

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