Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: What is the difference between primary central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea?

Minnesota Subscriber

Answer: For starters, the ICD-10 codes you’ll use for each condition are different. For primary central sleep apnea, you’d report G47.31 (Primary central sleep apnea). This condition occurs when the brain fails to send appropriate signals to the muscles that control breathing, which leads to pauses in breathing. The crux of the issue for people with primary central sleep apnea lies in the respiratory control center of the brain.

This condition is also called idiopathic central sleep apnea, so be on the lookout for that term in the notes as well.

For obstructive sleep apnea, you’d report G47.33 (Obstructive sleep apnea (adult) (pediatric)). This condition is marked by throat muscles that relax during sleep, which causes temporary airway blockage. This blockage leads to pauses in breathing (apneas).

That’s not all: Diagnosis coding for sleep apnea doesn’t just come down to just two choices: there are nine separate ICD-10 codes in the G47.3- (Sleep apnea) code set.