In simple words: This code describes a serious injury where the ankle and foot are separated from the leg due to trauma, such as a crushing accident or being caught in machinery.The doctor will check for bleeding, broken bones, and nerve damage. Treatment may involve stopping the bleeding, surgery to try and reattach the foot (if possible), pain medication, and antibiotics. If the foot can't be reattached, a prosthetic will be fitted.

Traumatic amputation of the ankle and foot refers to the traumatic separation of the ankle and foot where some muscle, bone, or other tissue remains connecting the ankle to the leg.Common causes include crush or blast injuries, entrapment, and machinery or motor vehicle accidents.The injury may involve bleeding, fracture, laceration, nerve injury, loss of body part, and damaged soft tissue. Diagnosis involves history, physical examination, X-rays, and potentially CT, CTA, and MRI scans. Treatment may include hemorrhage control, care of the severed limb, screening for other injuries, surgical revascularization (if feasible), analgesics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and tetanus prophylaxis.If complete reattachment is impossible, prosthetic fitting and training may be necessary.

Example 1: A patient is involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in a traumatic amputation of the right foot at the ankle.The patient presents with significant bleeding, an open wound, and a comminuted fracture of the distal tibia. The physician performs emergency hemorrhage control, surgical debridement, and amputation of the foot. A secondary code is used to identify the motor vehicle accident as the cause of injury. The patient is referred for physical therapy and prosthetic fitting., A construction worker suffers a crush injury to his left foot while operating heavy machinery.This resulted in a partial traumatic amputation of the foot, with some remaining soft tissue connecting to the ankle. The physician performs surgical revascularization attempts, and the remaining tissue was surgically debrided to prevent infection.The patient receives pain medication, antibiotics, and is referred for rehabilitation, including prosthetic fitting., A patient presents with a traumatic amputation of the ankle and foot sustained during a blast injury.The patient has extensive soft tissue damage, multiple fractures, and significant nerve injury. The physician performs emergency surgery to control bleeding, debride the wound, and perform amputation. Secondary codes are assigned to the cause of injury (blast) and any other associated injuries (fractures).

Detailed documentation should include the mechanism of injury, extent of the amputation (complete vs. partial), presence of any other injuries, findings from physical examination and imaging studies, all treatment rendered, and any rehabilitation or prosthetic needs.

** This code should not be used for birth trauma (P10-P15) or obstetric trauma (O70-O71).