tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2001 Issue 12

Reader Question: Complications During a Procedure

Question: During lysis of adhesions, the patients bowel was inadvertently nicked. Should we report this accidental laceration or are complications that occur during surgery included in the primary procedure?Delaware Subscriber  Answer: The introduction to the national Correct Coding Initiative, page 3, paragraph 10, states: When a complication described by codes defining complications arises during an operative session ... it is incorrect to report a separate service for treating such complications. An operative session ends upon release from the operating room. Therefore, no separate code should be reported for the repair of a laceration or for treating any other...

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