In simple words: This code describes a serious liver problem caused by long-term heavy drinking, where the person is in a coma (unconscious).

Alcoholic hepatic failure with coma represents a severe consequence of chronic and excessive alcohol consumption. This condition signifies the liver's inability to perform its essential functions due to alcohol-induced damage, leading to a state of deep unconsciousness (coma).

Example 1: A 45-year-old with a history of alcohol dependence presents to the ER with altered mental status and jaundice.Blood tests reveal elevated liver enzymes and bilirubin, and the patient progresses into a coma.The diagnosis of alcoholic hepatic failure with coma (K70.41) is made., A patient with chronic alcoholic cirrhosis develops hepatic encephalopathy and subsequently lapses into a coma.The coma, in the context of pre-existing liver disease caused by alcohol, leads to a diagnosis of K70.41., A patient with known alcoholic hepatitis experiences a rapid decline in liver function, culminating in a comatose state. The diagnosis is K70.41, reflecting the acute-on-chronic nature of the liver failure.

Documentation should include evidence of chronic alcohol abuse, laboratory findings indicating liver failure (e.g., elevated bilirubin, INR, ammonia), and clinical findings consistent with a comatose state. Imaging studies may be used to assess the extent of liver damage.Additional codes may be necessary to specify the underlying alcoholic liver disease (e.g., K70.3 Alcoholic cirrhosis of liver).

** It's important to differentiate K70.41 from other causes of hepatic coma, such as drug-induced liver injury or viral hepatitis. The documentation should clearly establish the causal link between chronic alcohol use and the development of liver failure.