Question

Report the appropriate diagnosis code(s) and identify the principal diagnosis code. A patient is admitted with respiratory failure and a large iatrogenic pneumothorax three days following outpatient thoracentesis for malignant pleural effusion.

Answer 1

The appropriate diagnosis codes include one for the iatrogenic pneumothorax, which may be considered the principal diagnosis, as well as one for respiratory failure. Specific ICD-10-CM codes are not provided and should be referenced from the most current resources.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appropriate diagnosis code(s) for a patient who was admitted to the hospital with respiratory failure and a large iatrogenic pneumothorax following a thoracentesis. The principal diagnosis code is the code for the condition that is chiefly responsible for the patient's admission to the hospital. Given the scenario, one might consider assigning the iatrogenic pneumothorax code as the principal diagnosis because it occurred as a complication of the procedure (thoracentesis) and required treatment that resulted in hospital admission. The code for respiratory failure would also be reported as an additional diagnosis since it is a condition that coexists at the time of admission and affects patient care. Note that specific ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification) codes are not provided in the answer as they are updated regularly and should be referenced from the most current coding resources.