ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: A patient reports to the ED with complaints of severe back pain, clammy skin, and dizziness. The patient also reports that they have passed out twice in the past 24 hours, with loss of consciousness less than a minute. Upon exam, the ED physician diagnoses the patient with “ruptured AAA.” What is ruptured AAA, and how do I select an ICD-10 code for the condition?

AAPC Forum Subscriber

Answer: Ruptured AAA refers to an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which this patient has suffered. You can get as far as I71.3- with this information, but ICD-10 requires you to go to the 5th character with these codes.

Do this: Go back and check the notes for more information on the AAA. Then, choose from the following ICD-10 codes:

• I71.30 (Abdominal aortic aneurysm, ruptured, unspecified)
• I71.31 (Pararenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, ruptured)
• I71.32 (Juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, ruptured)
• I71.33 (Infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, ruptured).