2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code S15Injury of blood vessels at neck level

ICD-10-CM Codes›S00–T88›S10-S19›S15

ICD-10-CM S15
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

S15 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code for injury of blood vessels at neck level, so it cannot be submitted on claims. Use a more specific code from this category instead, such as S15.001A, S15.001D, S15.001S, and S15.002A.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
S15
Billable Status
No — Non-Billable Category
Code Describes
Injury of blood vessels at neck level
Short Description
Injury of blood vessels at neck level
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Chapter
S10-S19
Injuries to the neck

Code Classification

ChapterS00–T88Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
SectionS10-S19Injuries to the neck
CategoryS15Injury of blood vessels at neck level
This CodeS15Injury of blood vessels at neck level

Specific Coding for Injury of blood vessels at neck levelOverview

Non-specific codes like S15 require more characters. Use one of these billable codes instead:

  • S15.0 for Injury of carotid artery of neck

  • S15.00 for Unspecified injury of carotid artery

  • S15.01 for Minor laceration of carotid artery

  • S15.02 for Major laceration of carotid artery

  • S15.09 for Other specified injury of carotid artery

  • S15.1 for Injury of vertebral artery

  • S15.10 for Unspecified injury of vertebral artery

  • S15.11 for Minor laceration of vertebral artery

  • S15.12 for Major laceration of vertebral artery

  • S15.19 for Other specified injury of vertebral artery

  • S15.2 for Injury of external jugular vein

  • S15.20 for Unspecified injury of external jugular vein

  • S15.21 for Minor laceration of external jugular vein

  • S15.22 for Major laceration of external jugular vein

  • S15.29 for Other specified injury of external jugular vein

  • S15.3 for Injury of internal jugular vein

  • S15.30 for Unspecified injury of internal jugular vein

  • S15.31 for Minor laceration of internal jugular vein

  • S15.32 for Major laceration of internal jugular vein

  • S15.39 for Other specified injury of internal jugular vein

  • S15.8 for Injury of other specified blood vessels at neck level

  • S15.9 for Injury of unspecified blood vessel at neck level

Coding GuidelinesGuidance

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Injury of blood vessels at neck level (S15). Use the following options for the applicable episode of care:

  • A - initial encounter
  • D - subsequent encounter
  • S - sequela

Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027, published by CMS and the National Center for Health Statistics.

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to S15: its own notes plus those printed at block S10-S19 and Chapter 19. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

Includes

Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.

From Block S10-S19 Injuries to the neck applies to 1,074 codes
  • injuries of nape
  • injuries of supraclavicular region
  • injuries of throat

Excludes2

Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.

From Block S10-S19 Injuries to the neck applies to 1,074 codes
  • burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
  • effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1)
  • effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
  • effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
  • effects of foreign body in trachea (T17.4)
  • frostbite (T33-T34)
  • insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes

Use Additional Code

Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.

From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes
  • code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Code Also

A second code may be needed to fully describe the condition; the note gives no sequencing direction.

  • any associated open wound (S11.-)

Notes

General instructions on how these codes are used.

From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes
  • Use secondary code(s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code
  • The chapter uses the S-section for coding different types of injuries related to single body regions and the T-section to cover injuries to unspecified body regions as well as poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.

7th Character

Every code in the category takes a 7th character from the listed values, with the placeholder X filling any empty positions before it.

  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S15
Values for category S15 Encounter: Initial, Subsequent, Sequela
  • Ainitial encounter
  • Dsubsequent encounter
  • Ssequela

Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.

Referenced in Other NotesGuidance

Instructional notes printed at other codes that name S15, its category, or a range that includes it.

Excludes1 1

These codes carry an Excludes1 note naming S15: they are not reported together with it, unless the two conditions are unrelated.

  • S09.0 Injury of blood vessels of head, not elsewhere classified
    injury of precerebral blood vessels (S15.-)

Use Additional Code 1

These codes say to use an additional code from the note, and S15 is one of the codes named.

  • S17 Crushing injury of neck
    injury of blood vessels (S15.-)

Patient EducationClinical

Wounds and Injuries

An injury is damage to your body. It is a general term that refers to harm caused by accidents, falls, hits, weapons, and more. In the U.S., millions of people injure themselves every year. These injuries range from minor to life-threatening.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

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

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2026No changes
FY 2027CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Questions About S15Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for injury of blood vessels at neck level?

S15 is the ICD-10-CM category for injury of blood vessels at neck level, but it is a non-billable header: claims need a more specific code from this category, listed on this page.

Is S15 (Injury of blood vessels at neck level) a billable code?

No. This is a category header that groups the codes for injury of blood vessels at neck level, and headers cannot be submitted on claims. Claims for injury of blood vessels at neck level need a more specific code from this category, such as S15.001A, S15.001D, and S15.001S.