2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code I50.9

Heart failure, unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
I50.9
ICD-10 Code for:
Heart failure, unspecified
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Chronic Condition Indicator: [1]
Chronic
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Diseases of the circulatory system
    (I00–I99)
    • Other forms of heart disease
      (I30-I5A)
      • Heart failure
        (I50)

I50.9 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of heart failure, unspecified. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

The code is commonly used in cardiology medical specialties to specify clinical concepts such as heart failure.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like I50.9 are acceptable when clinical information is unknown or not available about a particular condition. Although a more specific code is preferable, unspecified codes should be used when such codes most accurately reflect what is known about a patient's condition. Specific diagnosis codes should not be used if not supported by the patient's medical record.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Acute congestive heart failure
  • Acute congestive heart failure
  • Acute congestive heart failure
  • Acute exacerbation of chronic congestive heart failure
  • Acute heart failure
  • Acute heart failure co-occurrent with normal ejection fraction
  • Acute on chronic heart failure co-occurrent with normal ejection fraction
  • Benign hypertensive heart disease
  • Benign hypertensive heart disease with congestive cardiac failure
  • Cardiac arrest after obstetrical surgery AND/OR other procedure including delivery
  • Cardiac arrest AND/OR failure following anesthesia AND/OR sedation in labor AND/OR delivery
  • Cardiac arrest due to procedure
  • Cardiac arrest during procedure
  • Cardiac edema
  • Cardiac failure after obstetrical surgery AND/OR other procedure including delivery
  • Cardiac insufficiency during AND/OR resulting from a procedure
  • Cardiac insufficiency during AND/OR resulting from a procedure
  • Cardiac insufficiency during AND/OR resulting from a procedure
  • Cardiac insufficiency following cardiac surgery
  • Cardiac insufficiency following cardiac surgery
  • Cardiorenal syndrome
  • Chronic congestive heart failure
  • Chronic congestive heart failure
  • Chronic heart failure
  • Chronic heart failure co-occurrent with normal ejection fraction
  • Compensated cardiac failure
  • Complication due to cardiac conduit operation
  • Complication of obstetrical surgery AND/OR procedure
  • Complication of obstetrical surgery AND/OR procedure
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Congestive heart failure as early postoperative complication
  • Congestive heart failure as post-operative complication of cardiac surgery
  • Congestive heart failure as post-operative complication of non-cardiac surgery
  • Congestive heart failure due to cardiomyopathy
  • Congestive heart failure due to valvular disease
  • Congestive heart failure stage B
  • Congestive heart failure stage B
  • Congestive heart failure stage B due to ischemic cardiomyopathy
  • Congestive heart failure stage C
  • Congestive heart failure stage C
  • Congestive heart failure stage C due to ischemic cardiomyopathy
  • Congestive heart failure stage D
  • Congestive rheumatic heart failure
  • Decompensated cardiac failure
  • Decompensated chronic heart failure
  • Diastolic dysfunction
  • Disorder confirmed
  • Exacerbation of congestive heart failure
  • Heart disease due to thyrotoxicosis
  • Heart failure
  • Heart failure as a complication of care
  • Heart failure confirmed
  • Heart failure due to end stage congenital heart disease
  • Heart failure due to thyrotoxicosis
  • Heart failure with normal ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction due to cardiomyopathy
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction due to coronary artery disease
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction due to heart valve disease
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction due to myocarditis
  • Hypertensive heart AND chronic kidney disease with congestive heart failure
  • Hypertensive heart and renal disease with heart failure
  • Hypertensive heart and renal disease with heart failure
  • Hypertensive heart and renal disease with both heart failure and renal failure
  • Hypertensive heart disease with congestive heart failure
  • Hypertensive heart failure
  • Hypertensive renal failure
  • Low cardiac output syndrome
  • Low output heart failure
  • Low output heart failure
  • Low output heart failure
  • Low output heart failure due to and following Fontan operation
  • Malignant hypertensive heart disease
  • Malignant hypertensive heart disease with congestive heart failure
  • Nail changes associated with systemic disease
  • Normal cardiac ejection fraction
  • Normal cardiac function
  • Obstetrical cardiac complication of anesthesia AND/OR sedation
  • Obstetrical complication of anesthesia AND/OR sedation
  • Pleural effusion due to another disorder
  • Pleural effusion due to congestive heart failure
  • Red half-moon nail in congestive heart failure
  • Refractory heart failure
  • Symptomatic congestive heart failure
  • X-linked intellectual disability, cardiomegaly, congestive heart failure syndrome

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Heart Failure

    a heterogeneous condition in which the heart is unable to pump out sufficient blood to meet the metabolic need of the body. heart failure can be caused by structural defects, functional abnormalities (ventricular dysfunction), or a sudden overload beyond its capacity. chronic heart failure is more common than acute heart failure which results from sudden insult to cardiac function, such as myocardial infarction.
  • Heart Failure, Diastolic

    heart failure caused by abnormal myocardial relaxation during diastole leading to defective cardiac filling.
  • Heart Failure, Systolic

    heart failure caused by abnormal myocardial contraction during systole leading to defective cardiac emptying.
  • Diastole

    post-systolic relaxation of the heart, especially the heart ventricles.
  • Systole

    period of contraction of the heart, especially of the heart ventricles.
  • Diastolic Dysfunction

    impairment in the filling of the ventricles during diastole. causes include hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies, coronary artery disease, chronic high blood pressure, aortic stenosis, and aging.
  • Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction, CTCAE|Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

    an adverse event characterized by impaired functioning of the left ventricle of the heart during the diastole phase of the cardiac cycle.
  • Cardiorenal Syndrome

    a disorder of the heart and kidneys in which dysfunction of one of the organs induces dysfunction of the other organ.

Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries

The following annotation back-references are applicable to this diagnosis code. The Tabular List of Diseases and Injuries is a list of ICD-10-CM codes, organized "head to toe" into chapters and sections with coding notes and guidance for inclusions, exclusions, descriptions and more.


Inclusion Terms

Inclusion Terms
These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.
  • Cardiac, heart or myocardial failure NOS
  • Congestive heart disease
  • Congestive heart failure NOS

Type 2 Excludes

Type 2 Excludes
A type 2 excludes note represents "Not included here". An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.
  • fluid overload unrelated to congestive heart failure E87.70

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Convert I50.9 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 428.0 - CHF NOS
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.
  • ICD-9-CM Code: 428.9 - Heart failure NOS
    Approximate Flag - The approximate mapping means there is not an exact match between the ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes and the mapped code is not a precise representation of the original code.

Patient Education


Heart Failure

What is heart failure?

Heart failure means that your heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to meet your body's needs. Heart failure doesn't mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop beating. But without enough blood flow, your organs may not work well, which can cause serious problems.

Heart failure can affect one or both sides of your heart:

  • With right-sided heart failure, your heart is too weak to pump enough blood to your lungs to get oxygen.
  • With left-sided heart failure, your heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood out to your body. This happens when the left side of your heart becomes either:
    • Too weak to pump enough blood.
    • Too thick or stiff to relax and fill with enough blood.

Left-sided heart failure is more common than right-sided heart failure.

What causes heart failure?

Heart failure can start suddenly after a medical condition or injury damages your heart muscle. But in most cases, heart failure develops slowly from long-term medical conditions.

Conditions that can cause heart failure include:

  • Arrhythmia (a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat)
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Congenital heart defects or other types of heart diseases that you are born with
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Endocarditis
  • Heart attack
  • Heart valve diseases
  • High blood pressure
  • A blood clot in your lung
  • Diabetes
  • Certain severe lung diseases, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Obesity

Over time, left-sided heart failure can lead to right-sided heart failure.

Who is more likely to develop heart failure?

Heart failure can happen at any age. It happens to both men and women, but men often develop it at a younger age than women. Your chance of developing heart failure increases if:

  • You're 65 years old or older. Aging can weaken and stiffen your heart muscle.
  • Your family health history includes relatives who have or have had heart failure.
  • You have changes in your genes that affect your heart tissue.
  • You have habits that can harm your heart, including:
    • Smoking
    • Eating foods high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium (salt)
    • Having an inactive lifestyle
    • Alcohol use disorder (AUD)
    • Illegal drug use
  • You have other medical conditions that can affect your heart, including:
    • Any heart or blood vessel conditions, including high blood pressure
    • Serious lung diseases
    • Infection, such as HIV or COVID-19
    • Obesity
    • Diabetes
    • Sleep apnea
    • Chronic kidney disease
    • Anemia
    • Iron overload disease
    • Cancer treatments that can harm your heart, such as radiation and chemotherapy
  • You are African American. African Americans are more likely to develop heart failure and have more serious cases at younger ages than people of other races. Factors such as stigma, discrimination, income, education, and geographic region can also affect their risk of heart failure.

What are the symptoms of heart failure?

The symptoms of heart failure depend on which side of your heart is affected and how serious your condition has become. Most symptoms are caused by reduced blood flow to your organs and fluid buildup in your body.

Fluid buildup happens because the flow of blood through your heart is too slow. As a result, blood backs up in the vessels that return the blood to your heart. Fluid may leak from the blood vessels and collect in the tissues of your body, causing swelling (edema) and other problems.

Symptoms of heart failure may include:

  • Feeling short of breath (like you can't get enough air) when you do things like climbing stairs. This may be one of the first symptoms you notice.
  • Fatigue or weakness even after rest.
  • Coughing.
  • Swelling and weight gain from fluid in your ankles, lower legs, or abdomen (belly).
  • Difficulty sleeping when lying flat.
  • Nausea and loss of appetite.
  • Swelling in the veins of your neck.
  • Needing to urinate (pee) often.

At first you may have no symptoms or mild symptoms. As the disease gets worse, your symptoms will usually bother you more.

What other problems does heart failure cause?

Fluid buildup and reduced blood flow to your organs can lead to serious problems, including:

  • Breathing problems from fluid in and around your lungs (also called congestive heart failure)
  • Kidney or liver damage including cirrhosis
  • Malnutrition if fluid buildup makes eating uncomfortable or if your stomach doesn't get enough blood flow to digest food properly
  • Other heart conditions, such as irregular heartbeat and sudden cardiac arrest
  • Pulmonary hypertension

How is heart failure diagnosed?

To find out if you have heart failure, your doctor will:

  • Ask about your medical history, including your symptoms
  • Ask about your family health history, including relatives who have had heart failure
  • Do a physical exam
  • Will likely order heart tests and blood tests, including a brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) test

In some cases, your doctor may refer you to a cardiologist (a doctor who specializes in heart diseases) for tests, diagnosis, and care.

What are the treatments for heart failure?

Your treatment will depend on the type of heart failure you have and how serious it is. There's no cure for heart failure. But treatment can help you live longer with fewer symptoms.

Even with treatment, heart failure usually gets worse over time, so you'll likely need treatment for the rest of your life.

Most treatment plans include:

  • Taking medicine
  • Eating less sodium and drinking less liquid to control fluid buildup
  • Making other changes, such as quitting smoking, managing stress, and getting as much physical activity as your health care provider recommends
  • Treating any conditions that may make heart failure worse

You may need heart surgery if:

  • You have a congenital heart defect or damage to your heart that can be fixed.
  • The left side of your heart is getting weaker and putting a device in your chest could help. Devices include:
    • An implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
    • A biventricular pacemaker (cardiac resynchronization therapy).
    • A mechanical heart pump (a ventricular assist device (VAD) or a total artificial heart).
  • Your heart doctor recommends a heart transplant because your heart failure is life-threatening and nothing else is helping.

As part of your treatment, you'll need to pay close attention to your symptoms, because heart failure can worsen suddenly. Your provider may suggest a cardiac rehabilitation program to help you learn how to manage your condition.

Can heart failure be prevented?

You may be able to prevent or delay heart failure if you:

  • Work with your provider to manage any health conditions that increase your risk of developing heart failure
  • Make healthy changes in your eating, exercise, and other daily habits to help prevent heart disease

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.

Footnotes

[1] Chronic - a chronic condition code indicates a condition lasting 12 months or longer and its effect on the patient based on one or both of the following criteria:

  • The condition results in the need for ongoing intervention with medical products,treatment, services, and special equipment
  • The condition places limitations on self-care, independent living, and social interactions.