2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code P22.9Respiratory distress of newborn, unspecified
ICD-10-CM Codes›P00–P96›P19-P29›P22
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- Not Chronic
P22.9 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for respiratory distress of newborn, unspecified. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Respiratory distress syndrome.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Acute respiratory distress
- Acute respiratory distress in newborn
- Brain lung thyroid syndrome
- Chronic respiratory failure
- Distal spinal muscular atrophy
- Early-onset myopathy, areflexia, respiratory distress, dysphagia syndrome
- Neonatal respiratory distress
- Respiratory distress
- Respiratory distress in early neonatal period
- Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 2
- X-linked distal hereditary motor neuropathy
Tabular List NotesGuidance
Coding notes and annotation back-references applicable to this code.
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.
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
- Distress
- respiratory (adult) (child) - R06.03
- newborn - P22.9
External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance
References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.
- Distress
- respiratory (adult) (child)
- newborn
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Lung Diseases
When you breathe, your lungs take in oxygen from the air and deliver it to the bloodstream. The cells in your body need oxygen to work and grow. During a normal day, you breathe nearly 25,000 times. People with lung disease have difficulty breathing. Millions of people in the U.S. have lung disease.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert P22.9 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About P22.9Overview
Is P22.9 (Respiratory distress of newborn) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report respiratory distress of newborn, unspecified on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of P22.9?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, respiratory distress of newborn, unspecified converts to ICD-9-CM 770.89 (resp prob after brth NEC). The mapping is approximate, so confirm the match fits the documentation.
Footnotes
[1] Not chronic - A diagnosis code that does not fit the criteria for chronic condition (duration, ongoing medical treatment, and limitations) is considered not chronic. Some codes designated as not chronic are acute conditions. Other diagnosis codes that indicate a possible chronic condition, but for which the duration of the illness is not specified in the code description (i.e., we do not know the condition has lasted 12 months or longer) also are considered not chronic.
