In simple words: This code is used for a graft to repair blood vessels. The graft can be a piece of vein from the patient or another person, or it can be made of artificial material. It is used during surgery to fix damaged blood vessels and improve blood flow.

This code covers the use of a vascular graft to repair defective blood vessels, restore proper blood flow, and correct any blockage present. This is for biological or synthetic grafts that a provider employs to repair blood vessels. In the case of a biological vascular graft, the provider either uses a portion of a vein from the individual who requires the graft or a graft from another individual. Alternatively, the provider may use a synthetic graft made up of Dacron® or other such material. Report this code for the use of a vascular graft to repair blood vessels during surgical procedures.

Example 1: A patient with peripheral artery disease undergoes a bypass procedure where a synthetic vascular graft (Dacron) is used to bypass the blocked artery in the leg., During an open-heart surgery, a biological vascular graft (harvested from the patient's own vein) is used to replace a damaged section of the coronary artery., A patient with an aneurysm requires a vascular graft to reinforce the weakened area of the blood vessel and prevent rupture.

Documentation should include the type of graft used (biological or synthetic), the location of the repair, the reason for the procedure, and the related CPT codes for the surgical procedure.

** C codes represent items and services for outpatient use, including pass-through devices, pass-through drugs and biologicals, brachytherapy sources, new technology, and certain other services. This HCPCS code was included in the pass-through payment system for device category codes, but its inclusion in that system has expired. However, despite the expiration of the pass-through payment status for device category codes, hospitals are still required to report the device category C codes on claims when such devices are used.