2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code T71.191AAsphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, initial encounter
ICD-10-CM Codes›S00–T88›T66-T78›T71
- Billable — Valid for Submission
- CC — Complication or Comorbidity
- 7th Character A — Initial Encounter
- Not Chronic
T71.191A is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, initial encounter. The 7th character A marks it as an initial encounter code, used while the patient is receiving active treatment. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) and groups to MS-DRG 922 through 923. As a secondary diagnosis, it counts as a complication or comorbidity (CC) and moves an inpatient stay to a higher severity level within its MS-DRG family. It does not count, however, when the principal diagnosis is one of 39 closely related codes. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Effect of other external causes, initial encounter; External cause codes: intent of injury, accidental/unintentional; and External cause codes: suffocation/inhalation; initial encounter.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Accidental asphyxia
- Accidental mechanical suffocation
- Accidental mechanical suffocation by collapsing building
- Accidental mechanical suffocation by falling material
- Accidental mechanical suffocation by snow or ice
- Accidental mechanical suffocation by stored powder or grain
- Accidental mechanical suffocation due to lack of air in closed space
- Accidental strangulation
- Accidental strangulation by clothing
- Accidental strangulation by clothing in fall
- Accidental strangulation by electric car window
- Accidental strangulation by machinery
- Accidental strangulation on clothing caught in machinery
- Asphyxia by bedclothes or pillow
- Asphyxia by burial under powder or solid matter
- Asphyxia by circumferential chest wall burns
- Asphyxia by circumferential chest wall tumor
- Asphyxia by entrapment of chest
- Asphyxia by entrapment with mouth and nose blocked
- Asphyxia by gag
- Asphyxia by obstruction of mouth and nose
- Asphyxiation by sustained compression of chest
- Death by asphyxiation
- Death by strangulation
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy due to strangulation
- Mechanical asphyxia accident
- Suffocation by mechanical cause
- Suffocation by pressure
Coding GuidelinesGuidance
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Asphyxiation (T71). 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 T71.191A: its own notes plus those printed at T71, block T66-T78, and Chapter 19. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.
Excludes1
Not coded here: the excluded code is never reported together with this one, unless the two conditions are unrelated.
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.
Use Additional Code
Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.
- 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.
- if applicable, place of occurrence, such as:
- highway rest stop (Y92.523)
- school (private) (public) (state) as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.21-)
- service areas as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.52-)
- single-family non-institutional (private) house as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.01-)
- transport vehicle as the place of occurrence of the external cause (Y92.81-)
Notes
General instructions on how these codes are used.
- 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 T71
- Ainitial encounter this code
- 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 T71.191A, its category, or a range that includes it.
External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance
References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index; each main term links to its index entry.
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Clinical InformationClinical
Suffocation
the stopping of respiration or the asphyxia that results from it.
Convert T71.191A to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About T71.191AOverview
Is T71.191A a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, initial encounter on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
What does the 7th character A in T71.191A mean?
The final character A marks the initial encounter: use it while the patient is receiving active treatment for asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, such as an emergency visit or first evaluation.
What MS-DRG does T71.191A group to?
When asphyxiation due to mechanical threat to breathing due to other causes, accidental, initial encounter is the principal diagnosis on an inpatient stay, it groups to MS-DRG 923, 922, with relative weights from 0.9980 to 1.6248 depending on complications. Higher weights mean higher Medicare reimbursement.
Is T71.191A a CC or MCC?
CMS lists T71.191A as a CC (complication or comorbidity) for FY 2027. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, it moves the inpatient stay to a higher-weighted DRG within its severity family. It does not count when the principal diagnosis is one of the 39 closely related codes in its exclusion list.
Can T71.191A be reported with J80?
Not as a rule. The Excludes1 note at T71, which applies to T71.191A, lists "acute respiratory distress (syndrome) (J80)". An Excludes1 note means the excluded code is never reported together with this one; the only exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other (Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
