Wiki PICC Line Culture

[Jacoder]

A drop off specimen was brought to our hospital with an order to run a culture of the PICC line tip. PICC line is going to be removed at a later date. The diagnosis they gave is 410.90 Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified site. What diagnosis would I use for the C&S? I don't think they are culturing it because they had a MI and I can't find a code for "status" of PICC line. Any sugestions?

 

[debkidcks]

I work at an infectious disease practice that provides IV antibiotics, often through a PICC. We'd culture a PICC site if it were infected. I'm at home and don't have my coding books, but there is a code for a complication/infection of a vascular catheter, and that's what you'd use for the culture. Sorry I don't have the exact code - I'll try to remember to look it up at work tomorrow.

 

[debkidcks]

Use code is 996.62 (which is for infection due to other vascular device - including peripheral venous catheter -- mechanical complication is actually a different code).