Pulmonology Coding Alert

Question: Can you provide me the ICD-9 code that I will have to report for a diagnosis of tracheal stenosis and respiratory failure?

Alabama Subscriber

Answer: When you are reporting a diagnosis of tracheal stenosis, you will have to use 519.19 (Other diseases of trachea and bronchus) as this code includes stenosis of bronchus or trachea. If the stenosis has been caused due to a surgical procedure such as a tracheostomy, you should use 519.02 (Tracheal stenosis due to tracheostomy).

When reporting a diagnosis of respiratory failure, you will have to identify the respiratory failure state to correctly choose the code you have to report. So depending on the state, you can choose from the following three codes:

• 518.81 (Acute respiratory failure)
• 518.83 (Chronic respiratory failure)
• 518.84 (Acute and chronic respiratory failure)

If the respiratory failure occurs after a surgical procedure or trauma, then you can use 518.51 (Acute respiratory failure following trauma and surgery) and 518.53 (Acute and chronic respiratory failure following trauma and surgery), as appropriate.