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  5. Foreign body or object entering through skin (W45)

Foreign body or object entering through skin (W45)

The ICD-10 code W45 category is used to classify injuries caused by a foreign body or object entering through the skin. It includes specific codes such as W45.0 for nails and W45.8 for other types of foreign bodies or objects.

This section covers a range of puncture wounds and injuries caused by sharp objects like nails, splinters, and metal fragments. The code W45.0XXA specifies an initial encounter for a nail entering the skin, often referred to with synonyms such as "open wound of hand, dorsum," or "metal nail puncture wound." Other related codes like W45.8XXA address other foreign bodies penetrating the skin, including items such as metal fragments, wood splinters, or fishing hooks. These codes distinguish between initial, subsequent, and sequela encounters, which is helpful for medical coders managing patient care timelines. Understanding synonyms for injuries like "puncture wound of finger," "foreign body in skin," or "superficial puncture wound" aids accurate coding when searching for the ICD-10 code for foreign body entry injuries through the skin.

Instructional Notations

Includes

This note appears immediately under a three character code title to further define, or give examples of, the content of the category.

  • foreign body or object embedded in skin
  • nail embedded in skin

Type 2 Excludes

A type 2 excludes note represents "Not included here". An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

  • contact with hand tools nonpowered powered W27 W29
  • contact with other sharp objects W26
  • contact with sharp glass W25
  • struck by objects W20 W22

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 W45

7th Character

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

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