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  6. 2025 ICD-10-CM Code I50

2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code I50

Heart failure

ICD-10-CM Code:
I50
ICD-10 Code for:
Heart failure
Is Billable?
Not Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

I50 is a non-specific and non-billable diagnosis code code, consider using a code with a higher level of specificity for a diagnosis of heart failure. The code is not specific and is NOT valid for the year 2025 for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions. Category or Header define the heading of a category of codes that may be further subdivided by the use of 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th characters.

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

Specific Coding Applicable to Heart failure

Non-specific codes like I50 require more digits to indicate the appropriate level of specificity. Consider using any of the following ICD-10-CM codes with a higher level of specificity when coding for heart failure:

  • Use I50.1 for Left ventricular failure, unspecified - BILLABLE CODE

  • I50.2 for Systolic (congestive) heart failure - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.20 for Unspecified systolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.21 for Acute systolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.22 for Chronic systolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.23 for Acute on chronic systolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • I50.3 for Diastolic (congestive) heart failure - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.30 for Unspecified diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.31 for Acute diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.32 for Chronic diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.33 for Acute on chronic diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • I50.4 for Combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.40 for Unspecified combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.41 for Acute combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.42 for Chronic combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.43 for Acute on chronic combined systolic (congestive) and diastolic (congestive) heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • I50.8 for Other heart failure - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • I50.81 for Right heart failure - NON-BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.82 for Biventricular heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.83 for High output heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.84 for End stage heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.89 for Other heart failure - BILLABLE CODE

  • Use I50.9 for Heart failure, unspecified - BILLABLE CODE

Code Classification

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

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.

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.


Code First

Code First
Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-10-CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a "use additional code" note at the etiology code, and a "code first" note at the manifestation code. These instructional notes indicate the proper sequencing order of the codes, etiology followed by manifestation.
  • heart failure complicating abortion or ectopic or molar pregnancy O00 O07 O08.8
  • heart failure due to hypertension I11.0
  • heart failure due to hypertension with chronic kidney disease I13
  • heart failure following surgery I97.13
  • obstetric surgery and procedures O75.4
  • rheumatic heart failure I09.81

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.
  • cardiac arrest I46
  • neonatal cardiac failure P29.0

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.