AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-9 - 2013 Issue 4; Ask the Editor

Aortic Root Replacement with Thoracic Aorta Replacement

A 64-year-old male patient was diagnosed with sinus of Valsalva aneurysm with aortic insufficiency. He underwent aortic root replacement with replacement of thoracic (ascending) aorta. Provider documentation indicates aortic root replacement with St. Jude Medical® valve conduit, reimplantation of coronary arteries and distal anastomosis about 1 cm to 1.5 cm from the base of the innominate. The patient was weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass and returned to the intensive care unit. We referenced Coding Clinic, First Quarter 1996, p. 11, and assigned code 35.22, Open and other replacement of aortic valve, for the aortic valve replacement. However, our surgeon stated that this procedure is far more extensive than a simple valve replacement because of having to reimplant the coronary buttons and anastomose the aorta. Please clarify what is/are the correct procedure code(s) for the surgery? ...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to AHA Coding Clinic® for ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS .

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.