tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2007 Issue 10

READER QUESTIONS: Heart Failure Diagnosis Trumps Other Symptoms

Question: What are some signs and symptoms that a patient might have had heart failure?Kentucky Subscriber Answer: Because heart failure means that body tissues aren't receiving adequate oxygenation or fluid removal, the patient will present with common telltale signs of trouble:- Shortness of breath--Also called dyspnea, use 786.05 (Shortness of breath).- Fatigue--Also called asthenia or lethargy, report 780.79 (Other malaise and fatigue).- Edema--As a general symptom without a heart failure diagnosis, report edema as 782.3 (Edema). - Cough producing bloody sputum--Edema in the lungs can result in bloody sputum, which you can report...

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