Contact with hypodermic needle (W46)
The ICD-10 code W46 series is used to report injuries resulting from contact with hypodermic needles, distinguishing between uncontaminated and contaminated needles. These codes specify the nature and timing of the encounter, such as initial treatment, subsequent care, or complications that follow.
These codes cover incidents like accidental needle sticks or injuries during assaults involving hypodermic needles. For example, W46.0 refers to contact with an uncontaminated needle, while W46.1 is for contact with a contaminated needle, which may involve exposure to body fluids. The addition of seventh characters like XXA, XXD, and XXS further clarifies whether the encounter is initial, subsequent, or related to a late effect (sequela). Using terms like "needle stick injury" or "injury due to assault with injection needle" can help medical coders correctly assign these codes. Therefore, the ICD-10 code for contact with a hypodermic needle helps healthcare providers document and track such injuries accurately for both treated wounds and follow-up care.
External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01–Y99)
Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (W20-W49)
W46 Contact with hypodermic needle
W46.0 Contact with hypodermic needle
- W46.0XXA Contact with hypodermic needle, initial encounter
- W46.0XXD Contact with hypodermic needle, subsequent encounter
- W46.0XXS Contact with hypodermic needle, sequela
W46.1 Contact with contaminated hypodermic needle
- W46.1XXA Contact with contaminated hypodermic needle, initial encounter
- W46.1XXD Contact with contaminated hypodermic needle, subsequent encounter
- W46.1XXS Contact with contaminated hypodermic needle, sequela
Contact with hypodermic needle (W46)
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 W46
7th Character
Indicates that a seventh character is to be assigned to codes in a subcategory.
- A - initial encounter
- D - subsequent encounter
- S - sequela
