Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: Does CPT include a code for when the anesthesiologist indicates the patient has a full stomach? This seems like another risk factor, but I haven't found an appropriate code.


Illinois Subscriber

Answer: In the past, anesthesiologists considered a full stomach as criteria for an emergency, and reported +99140 (Anesthesia complicated by emergency conditions [specify] [list separately in addition to code for primary anesthesia procedure]) for the anesthetic risk factor. The current definition of an emergency relates more to the patient's presenting diagnosis; the American Society of Anesthesiologists' definition is "when delay in treatment of the patient would lead to significant increase in the threat to life or body part." The full stomach comes into play more indirectly.

Operating on a patient with a full stomach should never be done electively because a short wait could result in increased patient safety. But if delaying the case (to have the patient fast for an appropriate period to empty the stomach) would be life-threatening or increase the patient's morbidity risk, it is appropriate to bill the emergency modifier.