Q: Patient arrives after a fall down a flight of outdoor stairs. The patient experiences an unknown period of exposure prior to being found and brought to the ED. The initial core temperature on arrival is 90.1 degrees Fahrenheit; What would you do with this information?

Jun 1, 2011 | Head/Neck | 0 comments

A: A tempreature of 90.1F is equivalent to a temperature of 32.3 C and therefore meets criteria for the hypothermia code 010004.2; this is not induced for medical treatment but rather from exposure and is included as an injury.

Q: 36 y.o. female is running across the highway and struck by a vehicle at high speed; she is unresponsive at the scene and has an immediate CT-head which identifies a large bleed likely at the sagittal sinus; Operative craniotomy revealsa laceration to the sagittal sinus with a 2000ml blood loss; the injury is irreparable; How do you code this injury?

May 1, 2011 | Abdomen | 0 comments

A: sadly the blood loss, although massive, cannot be attached to this injury specifically and laceration is the only available code. Code: 122402.4

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