ICD-10-CM Code S22.5
Flail chest
Non-Billable Code
Non-Billable means the code is not sufficient justification for admission to an acute care hospital when used a principal diagnosis. Use a child code to capture more detail.7th Character Required
Code requires 7th Character Extension identifier. This 7th Character usually captures Episode of Care information, such as "Initial Encounter," "Subsquent Encounter," or "Sequela."ICD Code S22.5 is a non-billable code. To code a diagnosis of this type, you must use specify a 7th character that describes the diagnosis 'flail chest' in more detail. The 7th characters that can be added, and the resulting billable codes, are as follows:
| 7th Digit | Billable Code | 7th Digit Specifies |
|---|---|---|
| A | S22.5XXA | initial encounter |
| B | S22.5XXB | initial encounter for open fracture |
| D | S22.5XXD | subsequent encounter |
| G | S22.5XXG | subsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing |
| K | S22.5XXK | subsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion |
| S | S22.5XXS | sequela |
What is 7th Character Extension?
For codes less than 6 characters that require a 7th character a placeholder 'X' should be assigned for all characters less than 6. The 7th character must always be the 7th position of a code. E.g. The ICD-10-CM code T67.4 (Heat exhaustion due to salt depletion) requires an Episode of Care identifier. T67.4XXA Initial Encounter or T67.4XXD Subsequent Encounter. More InfoThe ICD code S225 is used to code Flail chest
Flail chest is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when a segment of the rib cage breaks under extreme stress and becomes detached from the rest of the chest wall. It occurs when multiple adjacent ribs are broken in multiple places, separating a segment, so a part of the chest wall moves independently. The number of ribs that must be broken varies by differing definitions: some sources say at least two adjacent ribs are broken in at least two places, some require three or more ribs in two or more places. The flail segment moves in the opposite direction as the rest of the chest wall: because of the ambient pressure in comparison to the pressure inside the lungs, it goes in while the rest of the chest is moving out, and vice versa. This so-called "paradoxical breathing" can increase the work and pain involved in breathing. Studies have found that up to half of people with flail chest die.
| Specialty: | Emergency Medicine |
| MeSH Code: | D005409 |
| ICD 9 Code: | 807.4 |
A chest radiograph of a flail chest associated with right sided pulmonary contusion and subcutaneous emphysema
ICD-10-CM Alphabetical Index References for 'S22.5 - Flail chest'
The ICD-10-CM Alphabetical Index links the below-listed medical terms to the ICD code S22.5. Click on any term below to browse the alphabetical index.
Parent Code: S22 - Fracture of rib(s), sternum and thoracic spine