Wiki Unable to Completely Remove Painful Implant - Complication Dx?

[cclarson]

Hello Everyone, I have a quick question.

A doctor went into the patient's wrist to remove deep painful hardware (plate and screws). He was able to remove a few of the screws, however, two of them refused to budge, so, to avoid possible harm, the doctor decided to leave the plate and the remaining screws in, debriding the metal fragments caused by the attempt to remove the remaining screws, and closed up the pt's wound. Would this qualify as a complication? and if so, how would this circumstance be coded?

 

[Orthocoderpgu]

I think T84.89XA would probably work for this situation. What do you think? I think this is a complication.

 

[cclarson]

I think T84.89XA would probably work for this situation. What do you think? I think this is a complication.

I think it qualifies as a complication as well, and T84.89XA sounds perfect. Should I also include the primary dx of T84.84XA for the painful hardware?

 

[Orthocoderpgu]

I think it qualifies as a complication as well, and T84.89XA sounds perfect. Should I also include the primary dx of T84.84XA for the painful hardware?

Yes, I would include that too since the hardware was painful.

 

[cclarson]

Yes, I would include that too since the hardware was painful.

Sorry for the late reply, thank you for your help.