2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code I38

Endocarditis, valve unspecified

ICD-10-CM Code:
I38
ICD-10 Code for:
Endocarditis, valve 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)
      • Endocarditis, valve unspecified
        (I38)

I38 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of endocarditis, valve 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.

Unspecified diagnosis codes like I38 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:

  • Abnormality of truncal valve cusp
  • Abnormality of truncal valve cusp
  • Abscess of left atrioventricular valve
  • Abscess of right atrioventricular valve
  • Acquired abnormality of common atrioventricular valve following procedure
  • Acquired abnormality of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular atrioventricular connection
  • Acquired abnormality of congenital malformed heart valve following repair
  • Acquired abnormality of left atrioventricular valve
  • Acquired abnormality of left atrioventricular valve following repair of double inlet ventricle
  • Acquired abnormality of right atrioventricular valve
  • Acquired abnormality of right atrioventricular valve following repair of double inlet ventricle
  • Acquired common atrioventricular valve regurgitation following procedure
  • Acquired regurgitation of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular connection
  • Acquired regurgitation of left ventricular component of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular connection
  • Acquired regurgitation of right ventricular component of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular connection
  • Acquired stenosis of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular connection
  • Acquired stenosis of left ventricular component of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular connection
  • Acquired stenosis of right ventricular component of common atrioventricular valve following repair of biventricular connection
  • Acquired ventricular septal defect
  • Atrioventricular block due to endocarditis
  • Calcification of common atrioventricular valve
  • Calcification of left atrioventricular valve
  • Calcification of right atrioventricular valve
  • Calcification of truncal valve
  • Cardiac valve prolapse
  • Cardiovascular fistula due to endocarditis
  • Chronic endocarditis
  • Chronic valvulitis
  • Common atrioventricular valve stenosis
  • Common atrioventricular valve stenosis
  • Common atrioventricular valve stenosis
  • Common atrioventricular valve stenosis
  • Congestive heart failure due to valvular disease
  • Culture-negative endocarditis
  • Dilatation of left atrioventricular valve in double inlet ventricle
  • Dilatation of left atrioventricular valve annulus
  • Dilatation of right atrioventricular valve in double inlet ventricle
  • Dilatation of right atrioventricular valve annulus
  • Disorder of atrioventricular valve
  • Disorder of cardiac valve following procedure
  • Disorder of left atrioventricular valve
  • Disorder of pulmonary valve prosthesis
  • Disorder of right atrioventricular valve
  • Endocarditis
  • Endocarditis as complication of procedure
  • Endocarditis associated with another disorder
  • Endocarditis of prosthetic pulmonary valve
  • Heart failure with normal ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction due to heart valve disease
  • Heart valve disorder
  • Heart valve regurgitation
  • Heart valve stenosis and regurgitation
  • Inflammation associated with cardiac implant
  • Left ventricular failure with normal ejection fraction due to valvular heart disease
  • Mitral valve disorder in pregnancy
  • Myxoid transformation of cardiac valve
  • Myxomatous degeneration of left atrioventricular valve leaflet
  • Myxomatous degeneration of right atrioventricular valve leaflet
  • Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis
  • Noninfective endocarditis
  • Non-rheumatic heart valve disorder
  • Perforation of left atrioventricular valve leaflet
  • Perforation of right atrioventricular valve leaflet
  • Perforation of truncal valve cusp
  • Periendocarditis due to infection
  • Postcapillary pulmonary hypertension
  • Postprocedural common atrioventricular valvar stenosis
  • Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease
  • Pulmonary hypertension due to left-sided valvular heart disease
  • Regurgitation of atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of common atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of common atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of common atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of common atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of left atrioventricular valve
  • Regurgitation of right atrioventricular valve
  • Right ventricular failure due to valvular heart disease
  • Rupture of left atrioventricular valve leaflet
  • Rupture of right atrioventricular valve leaflet
  • Rupture of truncal valve cusp
  • Stenosis of truncal valve following procedure
  • Thrombosis of common atrioventricular valve
  • Thrombosis of left atrioventricular valve
  • Thrombosis of right atrioventricular valve
  • Thrombosis of truncal valve
  • Truncal valve abnormality
  • Truncal valve stenosis
  • Valvular endocarditis
  • Valvular regurgitation
  • Valvular sclerosis
  • Vegetation of heart
  • Vegetative endocarditis
  • Vegetative endocarditis without infection
  • Ventricular septal defect due to and following infective endocarditis

Clinical Classification

Clinical Information

  • Endocarditis

    inflammation of the inner lining of the heart (endocardium), the continuous membrane lining the four chambers and heart valves. it is often caused by microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and rickettsiae. left untreated, endocarditis can damage heart valves and become life-threatening.
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial

    inflammation of the endocardium caused by bacteria that entered the bloodstream. the strains of bacteria vary with predisposing factors, such as congenital heart defects; heart valve diseases; heart valve prosthesis implantation; or intravenous drug use.
  • Endocarditis, Non-Infective

    formation of a non-infectious thrombus, referred to as vegetation, on previously undamaged endocardium. it usually occurs as a complication of connective-tissue diseases and cancers because of the associated hypercoagulable state (see thrombophilia).
  • Endocarditis, Subacute Bacterial

    endocardium infection that is usually caused by streptococcus. subacute infective endocarditis evolves over weeks and months with modest toxicity and rare metastatic infection.
  • Hypereosinophilic Syndrome

    a heterogeneous group of disorders with the common feature of prolonged eosinophilia of unknown cause and associated organ system dysfunction, including the heart, central nervous system, kidneys, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. there is a massive increase in the number of eosinophils in the blood, mimicking leukemia, and extensive eosinophilic infiltration of the various organs.
  • Rat-Bite Fever

    a syndrome characterized by recurring fever, rash, and arthralgias occurring days to weeks after a rat bite. the causative agents are either streptobacillus moniliformis or spirillum minus.
  • Eosinophils

    granular leukocytes with a nucleus that usually has two lobes connected by a slender thread of chromatin, and cytoplasm containing coarse, round granules that are uniform in size and stainable by eosin.

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.


Includes

Includes
This note appears immediately under a three character code title to further define, or give examples of, the content of the category.
  • endocarditis (chronic) NOS
  • valvular incompetence NOS
  • valvular insufficiency NOS
  • valvular regurgitation NOS
  • valvular stenosis NOS
  • valvulitis (chronic) NOS

Type 1 Excludes

Type 1 Excludes
A type 1 excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • congenital insufficiency of cardiac valve NOS Q24.8
  • congenital stenosis of cardiac valve NOS Q24.8
  • endocardial fibroelastosis I42.4
  • endocarditis specified as rheumatic I09.1

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).

  • - Stricture - See Also: Stenosis;
    • - heart - See Also: Disease, heart;
      • - valve - See Also: Endocarditis; - I38

Convert I38 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: 424.90 - Endocarditis 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: 424.99 - Endocarditis NEC
    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


Endocarditis

What is endocarditis?

Endocarditis is sometimes called infective endocarditis. It's a rare, but life-threatening inflammation of the lining inside your heart's chambers and valves (the endocardium).

Endocarditis is usually caused by germs that get into your bloodstream and travel to your heart. Once they get inside your heart, the germs can attach to the lining or get trapped in the valves. They start to grow, causing an infection. If not treated quickly, the infection can cause damage to the heart and lead to serious health problems.

What causes endocarditis?

Bacterial infections cause most endocarditis. Normally, many bacteria live in your mouth, on your skin, or in other parts of the body. Sometimes the bacteria can get into your bloodstream from injuries such cuts or scrapes. Dental work and certain surgeries can also allow small amounts of bacteria to enter your bloodstream.

In some cases, fungal infections cause endocarditis. The fungi, such as yeast, can live in parts of your body. Fungal infections generally happen in people who have weakened immune systems that can't stop the fungus from growing. This includes people who have HIV.

Who is more likely to develop endocarditis?

In general, endocarditis is rare. If you're healthy, your immune system usually destroys the germs in your bloodstream before they can cause harm.

But your chance of developing endocarditis may be higher than most people if you:

  • Have certain heart conditions. Damaged or abnormal heart tissue and devices in your heart can trap germs more easily than healthy heart tissue. That means your risk of endocarditis is higher if you have:
    • Heart valve disease.
    • Certain congenital heart defects.
    • A pacemaker or an implantable defibrillator.
    • A heart valve replacement.
  • Are older. Age-related changes to the heart valves, such as mitral valve prolapse or calcium deposits in the aortic valve, create places for germs to attach to the heart.
  • Inject illegal drugs. Unclean needles may carry bacteria into the bloodstream.
  • Have a condition that weakens your immune system.
  • Don't take care of your teeth and gums. Poor dental health makes it easier for germs to get into your bloodstream through your gums and mouth.
  • Have a long-term central venous line, a tube that stays in a large vein for weeks or months for medical treatment.
  • Have already had endocarditis. Endocarditis can damage heart tissue, which increases your risk of getting it again.

What are the symptoms of endocarditis?

Endocarditis symptoms may be severe or very mild. They may start suddenly or slowly. And they can vary from person to person. The possible symptoms of endocarditis include:

  • Fever and chills
  • New or worsening heart murmur (an unusual sound heard between heartbeats)
  • Chest pain
  • Cough
  • Muscle, joint, and back pain
  • Night sweats (heavy sweating during sleep)
  • Shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
  • Skin changes, including:
    • Broken blood vessels
    • Painful red or purple bumps
    • Painless flat red spots on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet

What other problems can endocarditis cause?

When the germs are in your heart, they can clump together with blood cells. These clumps can break off and travel through your bloodstream. They may block blood flow, spread infection, or damage your organs, including your brain, lungs, kidneys, and spleen.

Endocarditis may sometimes lead to sepsis, a medical emergency that happens when your body has an extreme response to the infection.

Endocarditis can also cause serious heart problems including:

  • Heart valve damage
  • Heart failure
  • Arrhythmia (a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat)

How is endocarditis diagnosed?

To find out if you have endocarditis, your doctor will:

  • Ask about your medical history, including your symptoms, recent illnesses, and other health conditions that affect your chance of developing endocarditis.
  • Do a physical exam.
  • Likely order tests, such as:
    • Blood tests to check for signs of infection, bacteria, or fungi in your blood.
    • Chest x-rays.
    • Heart tests.

What are the treatments for endocarditis?

If you have endocarditis, it's important to get treatment quickly. Treatments may include:

  • Medicines
    • Antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Antibiotics are usually started through an intravenous (IV) line in the hospital.
    • Antifungal medicine to treat fungal infections. Your doctor may suggest taking antifungal medicine for the rest of your life to prevent the infection from coming back.
  • Heart surgery may be needed to repair or replace damaged valves and heart tissue. Surgery may also be done to remove infected tissue.
  • Dental care, especially cleanings, can help reduce the amount of bacteria that grows in your mouth.

Treatment may last weeks, and you may need tests to make sure it's working. Your doctor will also check you for problems that could develop from endocarditis, such as heart failure or an irregular heartbeat.

Can endocarditis be prevented?

If you have a higher chance of developing endocarditis than most people, you can reduce your risk if you:

  • Take good care of your teeth and gums every day
  • Have dental exams and cleaning at your dentist's office every 6 months
  • Make heart-healthy habits part of your daily life to help prevent heart disease
  • Call your health care provider right away if you have symptoms that could be endocarditis

People with the highest risk for bacterial endocarditis need antibiotics before dental visits or certain medical or surgical procedures. Ask your provider if you're part of the highest risk group. If so, let all your providers know about your risk.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Heart Valve Diseases

What are heart valve diseases?

Heart valve disease happens when one or more of your heart valves don't work well.

Your heart has four valves: the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic valves. The valves have flaps that open and close. The flaps make sure that blood flows in the right direction through your heart and to the rest of your body. When your heart beats, the flaps open to let blood through. Between heartbeats they close to stop the blood from flowing backwards.

If one or more of your heart valves doesn't open or close correctly, it can affect your blood flow and strain your heart. Fortunately, treatment helps most valve diseases.

What are the types of heart valve diseases?

Heart valves can have three basic kinds of problems:

  • Regurgitation, or backflow, happens when the flaps of a valve don't close tightly. This allows the blood to leak backwards. A common cause of regurgitation is prolapse, where the flaps of the valve flop or bulge back. Prolapse most often affects the mitral valve.
  • Stenosis happens when the flaps of a valve become thick, stiff, or stuck together. This prevents the heart valve from opening all the way. Not enough blood can pass through the valve. Aortic valve stenosis is a common type of stenosis. It affects the valve that controls blood flow into the large artery that carries blood out of the heart to the body.
  • Atresia happens when a heart valve did not form properly and does not have an opening for blood to pass through.

Sometimes a valve can have both regurgitation and stenosis.

What causes heart valve diseases?

Some people are born with heart valve disease. This is called congenital heart valve disease. It can happen alone or along with other congenital heart defects. Heart valve disease can also develop over time as you get older or have certain conditions that affect the heart.

Who is more likely to develop heart valve diseases?

Your chance of having heart valve disease is higher if:

  • You are older. With age, the heart valves can become thick and stiff.
  • You have or have had other conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. These include:
    • Rheumatic fever. An untreated strep throat can become rheumatic fever, which can harm the heart valves. The damage may not show up for years. Today, most people take antibiotics to cure strep throat before it can cause heart valve damage.
    • Endocarditis. This is a rare infection in the lining of the heart and heart valves. It is usually caused by bacteria in the bloodstream.
    • A heart attack.
    • Heart failure.
    • Coronary artery disease, especially when it affects the aorta (the large artery that carries blood from the heart to the body).
    • High blood pressure.
    • High blood cholesterol.
    • Diabetes.
    • Obesity and overweight.
    • Lack of physical activity.
  • A family history of early heart disease:
    • A father or brother who had heart disease younger than 55.
    • A mother or sister who had heart disease younger than 65.
  • You were born with an aortic valve that wasn't formed right. Sometimes this will cause problems right away. Other times, the valve may work well enough for years before causing problems.

What are the symptoms of heart valve diseases?

Many people live their whole lives with a heart valve that doesn't work perfectly and never have any problems. But heart valve disease may get worse slowly over time. You may develop signs and symptoms, such as:

  • Shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
  • Fatigue
  • Swelling in your feet, ankles, abdomen (belly), or the veins in your neck
  • Chest pain when you're physically active
  • Arrhythmia, a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat
  • Dizziness or fainting

If you don't get treatment for heart valve disease, the symptoms and strain on your heart may keep getting worse.

What other problems can heart valve diseases cause?

When the valves don't work well, your heart has to pump harder to get enough blood out to the body. Without treatment, this extra workload on your heart can lead to:

  • Heart failure
  • Stroke
  • Blood clots
  • Sudden cardiac arrest or death

How is heart valve disease diagnosed?

Your health care provider may listen to your heart with a stethoscope and hear that your heart makes abnormal sounds, such as a click or a heart murmur. These sounds may mean a valve isn't working normally. The provider will usually refer you to a cardiologist, a doctor who specializes in heart diseases.

The doctor will also listen to your heart and will do a physical exam. You will also likely need to have one or more heart tests.

What are the treatments for heart valve diseases?

Most heart valve problems can be treated successfully. Treatment may include:

  • Medicines to control your symptoms and keep your heart pumping well
  • Heart-healthy lifestyle changes to treat other related heart conditions
  • Surgery to repair or replace a valve

It's possible that you may need surgery, even if you don't have symptoms. Fixing the valve can help can prevent future heart problems.

There are many ways to do heart valve surgery. You and your doctor can decide what's best for you, based on your valve problem and general health. Heart valve repair surgery has fewer risks than heart valve replacement. So, when repair is possible, it's preferred over valve replacement.

In some cases, valve replacement is necessary. There are 2 types of replacement valves:

  • Biologic valves made from pig, cow, or human tissue. These valves tend to wear out after 10 to 15 years, but some may last longer.
  • Mechanical (human-made) valves usually don't wear out. But with a mechanical valve, you usually have to take blood thinners for the rest of your life to prevent blood clots. And your risk of endocarditis (a heart infection) is higher than with a biologic valve.

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.