# Irrigation & Debridement codes



## rphil429 (Jul 27, 2014)

Please tell me what code to use for a irrigation and debridement of rt breast wound with rt breast tissue biopsy. Also i&D of multiple sacrococoygeal /ischial ulcers  5 wounds measuring a total of 2245 sq cm.assuming that area of wound is calculated eg. 5cm x 2cm x3cm = 30sq cm. How do you code this is it first 20 sq cm and then each additional 20 sq cm, this seem like an awful lot of codes. Thanks for any help.


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## mitchellde (Jul 27, 2014)

rphil429 said:


> Please tell me what code to use for a irrigation and debridement of rt breast wound with rt breast tissue biopsy. Also i&D of multiple sacrococoygeal /ischial ulcers  5 wounds measuring a total of 2245 sq cm.assuming that area of wound is calculated eg. 5cm x 2cm x3cm = 30sq cm. How do you code this is it first 20 sq cm and then each additional 20 sq cm, this seem like an awful lot of codes. Thanks for any help.



I think your math is off.  Sq centimeters is length times width.  You do not factor depth for a squared measurement.  So you cannot square 5x3x2 you need to know which is the length and which is the width.


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## rphil429 (Jul 28, 2014)

*Irrigation and debridement*

That was what I thought  too but I received the 3 measurement from the dr and not being sure how to arrive at the correct measure i just gave you the information I reveived.They were 5 wounds at the subcu/fascial/muscle level removing necrotic tissue.the measurements are 23cmx 10cmx 2cm, 5.5cmx 4cmx2cm, 3cmx 4cmx3cm, 5cmx 4cmx1.5cm, 22cmx30cmx3cm.this just seem lan awful lot and I a not sure if i am to code it with all the addit.code. I would appreciate your help with this.


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## mitchellde (Jul 28, 2014)

You must know the length and width of each.  Now logic says that the smallest number in each area is the depth, but you are not suppose to guess at this.  But a squared measure is only length times width.  The CPT code you select will be for the depth. So assuming the larger numbers are the correct ones you have.. 230+ 22+12+20+66=350 sq cm which is still alot but it looks like it was a large area.


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## rphil429 (Jul 28, 2014)

*irrigation and debridement*

If the smaller measurement is the depth then one of the measurement 22cm x 30cm is 660 sqcm that is even much more. The code for the first 20sq cm and each addit. 20 would be about be ridiculously too many.Something is not adding up.Please tell me what.


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## mitchellde (Jul 28, 2014)

It is just so large I agree, make sure his measurements in the chart note are centimeter, many physicians I work with measure no healing wounds in millimeters instead.  I fail to see the 30 and multiplied by 3 my bad.  But now you have just under 1000 sq centimeters which is what 400 sq inches so an area totaling 20 inches by 20 inches which is a really large area to be sure. I know I do not have any area on my body that can come close to that but if you can verify those numbers with the chart note and the provider then that is how it will be coded.  You might also verify the patient weight and such as they may just be a very large individual.


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