2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code S55Injury of blood vessels at forearm level

ICD-10-CM Codes›S00–T88›S50-S59›S55

ICD-10-CM S55
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

S55 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code for injury of blood vessels at forearm level, so it cannot be submitted on claims. Use a more specific code from this category instead, such as S55.001A, S55.001D, S55.001S, and S55.002A.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
S55
Billable Status
No — Non-Billable Category
Code Describes
Injury of blood vessels at forearm level
Short Description
Injury of blood vessels at forearm level
Same as the full description in the CMS dataset.
Chapter
S50-S59
Injuries to the elbow and forearm

Code Classification

ChapterS00–T88Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
SectionS50-S59Injuries to the elbow and forearm
CategoryS55Injury of blood vessels at forearm level
This CodeS55Injury of blood vessels at forearm level

Specific Coding for Injury of blood vessels at forearm levelOverview

Non-specific codes like S55 require more characters. Use one of these billable codes instead:

  • S55.0 for Injury of ulnar artery at forearm level

  • S55.00 for Unspecified injury of ulnar artery at forearm level

  • S55.01 for Laceration of ulnar artery at forearm level

  • S55.09 for Other specified injury of ulnar artery at forearm level

  • S55.1 for Injury of radial artery at forearm level

  • S55.10 for Unspecified injury of radial artery at forearm level

  • S55.11 for Laceration of radial artery at forearm level

  • S55.19 for Other specified injury of radial artery at forearm level

  • S55.2 for Injury of vein at forearm level

  • S55.20 for Unspecified injury of vein at forearm level

  • S55.21 for Laceration of vein at forearm level

  • S55.29 for Other specified injury of vein at forearm level

  • S55.8 for Injury of other blood vessels at forearm level

  • S55.80 for Unspecified injury of other blood vessels at forearm level

  • S55.81 for Laceration of other blood vessels at forearm level

  • S55.89 for Other specified injury of other blood vessels at forearm level

  • S55.9 for Injury of unspecified blood vessel at forearm level

  • S55.90 for Unspecified injury of unspecified blood vessel at forearm level

  • S55.91 for Laceration of unspecified blood vessel at forearm level

  • S55.99 for Other specified injury of unspecified blood vessel at forearm level

Coding GuidelinesGuidance

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Injury of blood vessels at forearm level (S55). 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 S55: its own notes plus those printed at block S50-S59 and Chapter 19. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

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.

On S55 itself
  • injury of blood vessels at wrist and hand level (S65.-)
  • injury of brachial vessels (S45.1-S45.2)
From Block S50-S59 Injuries to the elbow and forearm applies to 4,362 codes
  • burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
  • frostbite (T33-T34)
  • injuries of wrist and hand (S60-S69)
  • 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 (S51.-)

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 S55
Values for category S55 Encounter: Initial, Subsequent, Sequela
  • Ainitial encounter
  • Dsubsequent encounter
  • Ssequela

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

Patient EducationClinical

Arm Injuries and Disorders

Of the 206 bones in your body, three of them are in your arm: the humerus, radius, and ulna. Your arms are also made up of muscles, joints, tendons, and other connective tissue. Injuries to any of these parts of the arm can occur during sports, a fall, or an accident.

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 S55Overview

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

S55 is the ICD-10-CM category for injury of blood vessels at forearm level, but it is a non-billable header: claims need a more specific code from this category, listed on this page.

Is S55 (Injury of blood vessels at forearm level) a billable code?

No. This is a category header that groups the codes for injury of blood vessels at forearm level, and headers cannot be submitted on claims. Claims for injury of blood vessels at forearm level need a more specific code from this category, such as S55.001A, S55.001D, and S55.001S.