Wiki Painful sutures removal

[marie26]

removal of painful sutures subcutaneous tissue, left knee (status post left total knee arthroplasty... Over one year)

three skin incisions where made and total of 4 stitches where removal from subcutaneous tissue..

What is throwing me.. this is not just a normal stitch removal after surgery ... these stitches when along with the tka over one year ago.
Painful stiches
so is this a 996.78,V43.65/20670 or V58.32,V43.65,996.78/15850 ???????????

Thanks for your help

 

[dclark7]

I would use 10120 (Incision and Removal of foreign body, simple) and 729.6, V90.89. Code 20670 cannot be used since sutures are not implants and 15850 is under anesthesia (other than local), so unless the surgeon used some other type of anesthesia, this code is incorrect. 996.78 is a complication of an interanl orthopedic device, implant or graft. Sutures are none of these so this ICD code is incorrect.

It would be interesting to hear what others think.

 

[marie26]

Thanks.. Yes I would like to hear from others also.. This was such a odd one .. I was kinda lost..for sure...