2025 ICD-10-CM code S29.9
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes - Injuries to the thorax 19 Feed
Unspecified injury of thorax. This code is used when the documentation doesn't specify the exact nature of the injury to the thorax.
The 7th character is required to indicate the encounter type (A = Initial encounter, D = Subsequent encounter, S = Sequela).
Medical necessity is established by the clinical presentation of chest injury or discomfort following trauma. The documentation must support the need for diagnostic testing and treatment to address the potential thoracic injury.
Physicians diagnose this condition based on patient history, physical exam, imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, CT, Doppler echocardiography), arterial blood gas analysis, and bronchoscopy. Treatment includes oxygen, mechanical ventilation, pain relief, breathing exercises, rest, chest tube insertion, and potentially surgery.
In simple words: This code represents an unspecified injury to the chest area.It's used when the details of the injury are unknown or not documented clearly.
Unspecified injury of the thorax encompasses damage due to trauma from various sources like motor vehicle accidents, falls, or surgery, where the specific nature of the injury is not documented.It can manifest as difficulty breathing, incomplete lung expansion, cyanosis (bluish skin due to lack of oxygen), or erythema (redness due to carbon dioxide retention), and fluid, air, or blood accumulation in the chest.
Example 1: A patient presents to the ER after a car accident with chest pain but no specific injury identified on initial imaging., A patient falls from a ladder and experiences chest discomfort, but the extent of the injury is not immediately clear., Post-operatively, a patient develops chest pain and shortness of breath, but the exact cause is unknown and requires further investigation.
Document the evidence of chest injury, symptoms, diagnostic tests performed (e.g., imaging, blood gas analysis), and treatments administered. If the specific injury is later identified, update the code accordingly.
** Excludes birth trauma (P10-P15) and obstetric trauma (O70-O71).Also excludes burns (T20-T32), frostbite (T33-T34), insect bites (T63.4), and effects of foreign bodies in the bronchus (T17.5), esophagus (T18.1), lung (T17.8), or trachea (T17.4).
- Specialties:Emergency Medicine, Trauma Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Pulmonology
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Emergency Room - Hospital, Office