2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code P78.2Neonatal hematemesis and melena due to swallowed maternal blood

ICD-10-CM Codes›P00–P96›P76-P78›P78

ICD-10-CM P78.2
CMSSource: CMS FY 2026 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026

P78.2 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for neonatal hematemesis and melena due to swallowed maternal blood. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). Coders also document this condition as blood in vomit of newborn due to swallowed maternal blood. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Neonatal digestive and feeding disorders.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
P78.2
Billable Status
Yes — Valid for Submission
Code Describes
Neonatal hematemesis and melena due to swallowed maternal blood
Short Description
Neonatal hematemesis and melena d/t swallowed matern blood
Parent Code
P78
Other perinatal digestive system disorders

Code Classification

ChapterP00–P96Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period
SectionP76-P78Digestive system disorders of newborn
CategoryP78Other perinatal digestive system disorders
This CodeP78.2Neonatal hematemesis and melena due to swallowed maternal blood

Approximate SynonymsGuidance

Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.

  • Blood in vomit of newborn due to swallowed maternal blood
  • Melena
  • Melena of newborn due to swallowed maternal blood
  • Neonatal melena
  • Newborn ingestion of maternal blood
  • Vomit contains blood

Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance

Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.

External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance

References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.

    • Hematemesis
      • newborn, neonatal
        • due to swallowed maternal blood
    • Melena
      • due to swallowed maternal blood
    • Melena
      • newborn, neonatal
        • due to swallowed maternal blood
    • Syndrome
      • swallowed blood

Clinical ClassificationClinical

AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.

CCSR PNL012
Neonatal digestive and feeding disorders
Default principal diagnosis: inpatient Yes · outpatient Yes

Clinical InformationClinical

  • Melena

    the black, tarry, foul-smelling feces that contain degraded blood.

  • Feces

    excrement from the intestines, containing unabsorbed solids, waste products, secretions, and bacteria of the digestive system.

Patient EducationClinical

Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Your digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, rectum, and anus. Bleeding can come from any of these areas. The amount of bleeding can be so small that only a lab test can find it.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Convert P78.2 to ICD-9-CMHistory

The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.

ICD-9-CM
777.3 Swallowed blood syndrome
Exact Match The mapping is direct, with no qualifiers.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2025No changes
FY 2026CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

Questions About P78.2Overview

Is P78.2 (Other perinatal digestive system disorders) a billable code?

Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report neonatal hematemesis and melena due to swallowed maternal blood on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

What is the ICD-9 equivalent of P78.2?

Under the General Equivalence Mappings, neonatal hematemesis and melena due to swallowed maternal blood converts to ICD-9-CM 777.3 (swallowed blood syndrome). The mapping is a direct match.

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.