2026 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z18.81Retained glass fragments
Z18.81 is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for retained glass fragments. It is valid on HIPAA claims for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026). The code is not accepted as a principal diagnosis by the Medicare Code Editor and exempt from POA reporting. In AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCSR), this diagnosis falls under Other specified status.
Code Identity
Code Classification
Code EditsBilling
Medicare Code Editor checks that affect claim validity for Z18.81.
Present on Admission (POA)Billing
Z18.81 is exempt from POA reporting on inpatient claims to general acute care hospitals. Review other POA exempt codes.
Approximate SynonymsGuidance
Alternate terms and clinical phrases that map to this code.
- Foreign body in heel
- Foreign body in lip
- Glass foreign body in skin
- Glass in abdomen
- Glass in ankle
- Glass in anterior region of neck
- Glass in axilla
- Glass in back
- Glass in breast
- Glass in buttock
- Glass in calf
- Glass in cheek
- Glass in chest
- Glass in dorsum of foot
- Glass in dorsum of hand
- Glass in ear region
- Glass in elbow
- Glass in eye region
- Glass in face
- Glass in foot
- Glass in forehead
- Glass in genitalia
- Glass in great toe
- Glass in groin
- Glass in hand
- Glass in head
- Glass in head and neck
- Glass in head and/or neck
- Glass in heel
- Glass in hip
- Glass in knee
- Glass in lip
- Glass in lower leg
- Glass in mouth
- Glass in neck
- Glass in palm of hand
- Glass in perineum
- Glass in pharynx
- Glass in scalp
- Glass in shin
- Glass in shoulder
- Glass in sole of foot
- Glass in thigh
- Glass in thumb
- Glass in toe
- Glass in trunk
- Glass in wrist
- Retained glass fragment foreign body
- Superficial glass foreign body
Index to Diseases and InjuriesGuidance
Alphabetical index entries that point to this code.
- Retained - See Also: Retention;
- foreign body fragments (type of) - Z18.9
- glass - Z18.81
- fragments (type of ) - Z18.9
- glass - Z18.81
External Cause of Injuries IndexGuidance
References for this code in the External Cause of Injuries Index.
- Retained
- foreign body fragments (type of)
- glass
- Retained
- fragments (type of )
- glass
Clinical ClassificationClinical
AHRQ’s CCSR groups this code into broader clinical categories.
Patient EducationClinical
Foreign Bodies
If you've ever gotten a splinter or had sand in your eye, you've had experience with a foreign body. A foreign body is something that is stuck inside you but isn't supposed to be there. You may inhale or swallow a foreign body, or you may get one from an injury to almost any part of your body.
Read the full article at MedlinePlus
Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Convert Z18.81 to ICD-9-CMHistory
The closest ICD-9-CM equivalents under the General Equivalence Mappings.
Code HistoryHistory
Questions About Z18.81Overview
Is Z18.81 (Other specified retained foreign body) a billable code?
Yes. This is a billable ICD-10-CM code, specific enough to report retained glass fragments on HIPAA-covered claims from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
Can Z18.81 be a principal diagnosis?
No. The Medicare Code Editor rejects this code as a principal diagnosis because retained glass fragments describes a circumstance that influences health status rather than a current illness. Report it as a secondary diagnosis.
Is Z18.81 exempt from POA reporting?
Yes. CMS lists this code among those exempt from present on admission reporting, so hospitals do not assign a POA indicator for retained glass fragments on inpatient claims.
What is the ICD-9 equivalent of Z18.81?
Under the General Equivalence Mappings, retained glass fragments converts to ICD-9-CM V90.81 (retained glass fragments). The mapping is a direct match.
