2025 CPT code 35266
Effective Date: N/A Surgery - Surgical Procedures on the Cardiovascular System Feed
Repair blood vessel with graft other than vein; upper extremity
Modifiers may be applicable depending on the specific circumstances of the procedure (e.g., 22 for increased procedural services, 50 for bilateral procedures). Refer to current CPT guidelines for modifier usage.
Medical necessity must be established by documenting the underlying condition causing the need for vessel repair, such as trauma, peripheral artery disease, or other vascular pathology.The documentation should support that the procedure is necessary for the patient's health and well-being.
The physician is responsible for the entire procedure, including prepping the patient, administering anesthesia, making the incision, dissecting the necessary tissues, controlling bleeding, placing and suturing the graft, checking blood flow, and closing the incision.
In simple words: The surgeon repairs a damaged blood vessel in the arm or hand using a synthetic graft (like a tube).
The provider repairs the abnormal or injured blood vessel in an upper extremity with a non–venous graft.After prepping and anesthetizing the patient, the provider makes an incision to access the damaged vessel. They dissect and move soft tissue and vessels as needed to reach the target area, manually controlling bleeding. The extremity vessel is clamped proximally and distally to the defect, and a non-venous (typically synthetic) graft is sutured in place to repair the vessel. Blood flow is then checked, often using a Doppler probe, and the incision is sutured closed.
Example 1: A patient presents with a damaged brachial artery following a traumatic injury. The surgeon performs a repair using a synthetic graft., A patient with a blocked radial artery due to peripheral artery disease undergoes a bypass procedure using a synthetic graft., A patient with an arteriovenous fistula in their arm requires surgical repair with a non-venous graft.
Documentation should include details of the damaged vessel, type of graft used, operative technique, method of confirming blood flow, and any complications encountered.Pre- and postoperative evaluations should also be documented.
- Revenue Code: P2F
- Specialties:Vascular Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center