In simple words: This code describes a serious condition where a hole develops in the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) because of a sudden ulcer.

K26.1, Acute duodenal ulcer with perforation, is an ICD-10-CM code that classifies an acute inflammatory and necrotic erosive lesion on the duodenal mucosa resulting in a perforation.The duodenum is the initial part of the small intestine. This code includes acute erosion of the duodenum, peptic duodenal ulcers, and postpyloric peptic ulcers.It excludes peptic ulcers not otherwise specified (K27.-).

Example 1: A 55-year-old male presents to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and signs of shock.A CT scan reveals a perforated duodenal ulcer. He undergoes emergency surgery for repair of the perforation., A 40-year-old female with a history of NSAID use is admitted with symptoms consistent with a perforated ulcer. Upper endoscopy confirms the diagnosis. The patient undergoes surgical repair, and appropriate antibiotics are administered., A 70-year-old male with a history of peptic ulcers experiences sudden severe abdominal pain. He is found to have a perforated duodenal ulcer.Due to his age and comorbidities, he is managed conservatively with close monitoring and antibiotics, rather than surgery.

Complete patient history including risk factors (e.g., NSAID use, H. pylori infection, alcohol abuse), physical examination findings, laboratory results (e.g., complete blood count, electrolytes, liver function tests), imaging studies (e.g., abdominal X-ray, CT scan), endoscopic findings (if applicable), surgical notes (if applicable), and pathology reports (if applicable).

** This code should only be used when a perforation is definitively documented.If only hemorrhage is present, use K26.0. If both hemorrhage and perforation are present, use K26.2.Always code to the highest level of specificity.