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  5. Accidental discharge and malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns (W34)

Accidental discharge and malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns (W34)

The ICD-10 code W34 covers accidental discharges and malfunctions involving other and unspecified firearms and guns. These codes are used to classify injuries resulting from unintended firing or equipment failures of various firearms, including airguns, paintball guns, and other gas- or spring-operated guns.

This section distinguishes between different causes such as accidental discharge (W34.0 series) and accidental malfunctions (W34.1 series) of firearms. Subcategories further specify the type of firearm involved, including unspecified firearms (W34.00), airguns (W34.010), paintball guns (W34.011), and other spring-operated guns (W34.018). The codes also account for the clinical encounter stage with extensions like initial encounter (e.g., W34.00XA), subsequent encounter, and sequela. Medical coders often refer to synonyms such as gunshot wounds or pellet wounds when assigning these codes to correctly capture accidental injuries caused by firearm discharges or malfunctions.

  • External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01–Y99)

    • Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (W20-W49)

        • Accidental discharge and malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns (W34)

        • W34 Accidental discharge and malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns
        • W34.0 Accidental discharge from other and unspecified firearms and guns
        • W34.00 Accidental discharge from unspecified firearms or gun
        • W34.00XA Accidental discharge from unspecified firearms or gun, initial encounter
        • W34.00XD Accidental discharge from unspecified firearms or gun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.00XS Accidental discharge from unspecified firearms or gun, sequela
        • W34.01 Accidental discharge of gas, air or spring-operated guns
        • W34.010 Accidental discharge of airgun
        • W34.010A Accidental discharge of airgun, initial encounter
        • W34.010D Accidental discharge of airgun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.010S Accidental discharge of airgun, sequela
        • W34.011 Accidental discharge of paintball gun
        • W34.011A Accidental discharge of paintball gun, initial encounter
        • W34.011D Accidental discharge of paintball gun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.011S Accidental discharge of paintball gun, sequela
        • W34.018 Accidental discharge of other gas, air or spring-operated gun
        • W34.018A Accidental discharge of other gas, air or spring-operated gun, initial encounter
        • W34.018D Accidental discharge of other gas, air or spring-operated gun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.018S Accidental discharge of other gas, air or spring-operated gun, sequela
        • W34.09 Accidental discharge from other specified firearms
        • W34.09XA Accidental discharge from other specified firearms, initial encounter
        • W34.09XD Accidental discharge from other specified firearms, subsequent encounter
        • W34.09XS Accidental discharge from other specified firearms, sequela
        • W34.1 Accidental malfunction from other and unspecified firearms and guns
        • W34.10 Accidental malfunction from unspecified firearms or gun
        • W34.10XA Accidental malfunction from unspecified firearms or gun, initial encounter
        • W34.10XD Accidental malfunction from unspecified firearms or gun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.10XS Accidental malfunction from unspecified firearms or gun, sequela
        • W34.11 Accidental malfunction of gas, air or spring-operated guns
        • W34.110 Accidental malfunction of airgun
        • W34.110A Accidental malfunction of airgun, initial encounter
        • W34.110D Accidental malfunction of airgun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.110S Accidental malfunction of airgun, sequela
        • W34.111 Accidental malfunction of paintball gun
        • W34.111A Accidental malfunction of paintball gun, initial encounter
        • W34.111D Accidental malfunction of paintball gun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.111S Accidental malfunction of paintball gun, sequela
        • W34.118 Accidental malfunction of other gas, air or spring-operated gun
        • W34.118A Accidental malfunction of other gas, air or spring-operated gun, initial encounter
        • W34.118D Accidental malfunction of other gas, air or spring-operated gun, subsequent encounter
        • W34.118S Accidental malfunction of other gas, air or spring-operated gun, sequela
        • W34.19 Accidental malfunction from other specified firearms
        • W34.19XA Accidental malfunction from other specified firearms, initial encounter
        • W34.19XD Accidental malfunction from other specified firearms, subsequent encounter
        • W34.19XS Accidental malfunction from other specified firearms, sequela

Instructional Notations

7th Character Note

Certain ICD-10-CM categories have applicable 7th characters. The applicable 7th character is required for all codes within the category, or as the notes in the Tabular List instruct. The 7th character must always be the 7th character in the data field. If a code that requires a 7th character is not 6 characters, a placeholder X must be used to fill in the empty characters.

  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category W34

7th Character

Indicates that a seventh character is to be assigned to codes in a subcategory.

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