Traumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified lower extremity

Not billableICD-10-CM diagnosis code.

This code exists but cannot be submitted on its own. It groups the more specific codes beneath it.

A category header for its whole life, FY2016 onwards. It has never been valid for submission on its own.

Submit one of these 3 more specific codes instead:

T79.A29A Traumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified lower extremity, initial encounter
T79.A29D Traumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified lower extremity, subsequent encounter
T79.A29S Traumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified lower extremity, sequela

This code requires a seventh character. See the rule below.

What has happened to this code

Every change the publisher made, from 2014 to now. Entries marked draft are from the pre-implementation releases: ICD-10 took effect on 1 October 2015, so nothing before FY2016 was ever valid on a claim.

FY2014 Added to the draft code set draft Traumatic compartment syndrome of unspecified lower extremity

Official coding rules

Published by CDC for FY2027. A rule attached to a category binds every code beneath it, so the rules inherited from this code's ancestors are shown with the code they come from.

Inherited from T79 Certain early complications of trauma, not elsewhere classified

Seventh character required

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T79

Excludes2 - not included here

acute respiratory distress syndrome (J80)
complications occurring during or following medical procedures (T80-T88)
complications of surgical and medical care NEC (T80-T88)
newborn respiratory distress syndrome (P22.0)

How CDC's index refers to this code

Wording from the official alphabetic index. Much of it appears nowhere in the code description, which is why a search for the everyday phrase so often finds nothing.

Compartment syndrome > lower extremity
Syndrome > compartment > lower extremity

Codes in the same group

Code	Description	Status
T79.A21	Traumatic compartment syndrome of right lower extremity	Not billable
T79.A22	Traumatic compartment syndrome of left lower extremity	Not billable