In simple words: Low body temperature in a newborn baby. This can be mild or severe, and might show up as a flushed, puffy appearance, along with problems with the nervous system and body chemistry.

Hypothermia of the newborn, encompassing various degrees of low body temperature in a newborn infant.This can range from mild hypothermia to severe and chronic cold injury syndrome, potentially presenting with a pink flushed appearance, edema, and neurological and biochemical abnormalities.Mild hypothermia is specifically excluded from code P80.0 (cold injury syndrome).Unspecified hypothermia is coded as P80.9.

Example 1: A premature infant born at 32 weeks gestation develops hypothermia shortly after birth due to inadequate thermoregulation. The infant's temperature is 35°C (95°F) and requires warming measures and close monitoring., A full-term newborn presents with cold injury syndrome (P80.0), characterized by severe hypothermia, pink flushed skin, edema, and neurological dysfunction. Treatment involves aggressive warming and supportive care., A newborn is found to have a low body temperature (hypothermia) after birth, but no specific cause is identified, resulting in a code of P80.9 (unspecified hypothermia of newborn).

Thorough documentation should include the infant's gestational age, birth weight, Apgar scores, temperature readings at different times, warming methods used, any underlying medical conditions contributing to hypothermia, response to treatment, and the duration of hypothermia.If cold injury syndrome is suspected, documentation of the characteristic features (pink flushed appearance, edema, neurological abnormalities, biochemical abnormalities) is critical.

** This code is crucial for accurately reflecting the condition of the newborn and is essential for appropriate billing and reimbursement purposes.Accurate documentation is critical for proper code assignment and avoiding potential denials or audits.