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  3. V01–Y99
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  5. Drowning and submersion, undetermined intent (Y21)

Drowning and submersion, undetermined intent (Y21)

The ICD-10 code Y21 covers cases of drowning and submersion where the intent is unclear or undetermined. These codes specify different circumstances such as drowning in a bathtub, swimming pool, natural water, or other locations, and include codes for initial, subsequent, or sequela encounters.

The ICD-10 code for drowning and submersion, undetermined intent allows medical coders to document incidents where it is not clear if the submersion was accidental, intentional, or otherwise. Codes like Y21.0 and Y21.1 specify drowning in or after a fall into a bathtub, while Y21.2 and Y21.3 cover similar events involving swimming pools. The section also addresses drowning in natural waters (Y21.4) or other unspecified locations (Y21.8), including conditions such as aspiration pneumonia due to near drowning. For events where the location is not identified, Y21.9 is used. These distinctions, along with encounter types indicated by 7th characters (A, D, S), help medical professionals code and track treatment stages accurately.

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

    • Event of undetermined intent (Y21-Y33)

        • Drowning and submersion, undetermined intent (Y21)

        • Y21 Drowning and submersion, undetermined intent
        • Y21.0 Drowning and submersion while in bathtub, undetermined intent
        • Y21.0XXA Drowning and submersion while in bathtub, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.0XXD Drowning and submersion while in bathtub, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.0XXS Drowning and submersion while in bathtub, undetermined intent, sequela
        • Y21.1 Drowning and submersion after fall into bathtub, undetermined intent
        • Y21.1XXA Drowning and submersion after fall into bathtub, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.1XXD Drowning and submersion after fall into bathtub, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.1XXS Drowning and submersion after fall into bathtub, undetermined intent, sequela
        • Y21.2 Drowning and submersion while in swimming pool, undetermined intent
        • Y21.2XXA Drowning and submersion while in swimming pool, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.2XXD Drowning and submersion while in swimming pool, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.2XXS Drowning and submersion while in swimming pool, undetermined intent, sequela
        • Y21.3 Drowning and submersion after fall into swimming pool, undetermined intent
        • Y21.3XXA Drowning and submersion after fall into swimming pool, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.3XXD Drowning and submersion after fall into swimming pool, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.3XXS Drowning and submersion after fall into swimming pool, undetermined intent, sequela
        • Y21.4 Drowning and submersion in natural water, undetermined intent
        • Y21.4XXA Drowning and submersion in natural water, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.4XXD Drowning and submersion in natural water, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.4XXS Drowning and submersion in natural water, undetermined intent, sequela
        • Y21.8 Other drowning and submersion, undetermined intent
        • Y21.8XXA Other drowning and submersion, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.8XXD Other drowning and submersion, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.8XXS Other drowning and submersion, undetermined intent, sequela
        • Y21.9 Unspecified drowning and submersion, undetermined intent
        • Y21.9XXA Unspecified drowning and submersion, undetermined intent, initial encounter
        • Y21.9XXD Unspecified drowning and submersion, undetermined intent, subsequent encounter
        • Y21.9XXS Unspecified drowning and submersion, undetermined intent, 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 Y21

7th Character

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

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