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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Denver Shunt = Peritoneal-Venous Shunt

Published on Tue May 17, 2005

Question: What is a Denver shunt, and how should I code the procedure?


Louisiana Subscriber
Answer: A Denver shunt is a modification of the LeVeen peritoneovenous shunt. Physicians use it to treat ascites, a condition of excess fluid in the peritoneal cavity.

The physician places a subcutaneous plastic tube to continuously shunt ascites fluid from the peritoneal cavity to the jugular or subclavian vein. The surgeon reports 49425 (Insertion of peritoneal-venous shunt), and the anesthesiologist reports 00790 (Anesthesia for intraperitoneal procedures in upper abdomen including laparoscopy; not otherwise specified).
 
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