Legal intervention, operations of war, military operations, and terrorism (Y35-Y38)

ICD-10-CM codes Y35-Y38 are used to document injuries and health effects related to legal intervention, war operations, military operations, and terrorism. These codes capture various scenarios of injury by different weapons or causes during these specific events, including the identity of those injured.

This code range details external causes affecting law enforcement officials, suspects, bystanders, or unspecified persons involved in legal intervention incidents with firearms, explosives, gases, blunt or sharp objects, conducted energy devices, and other means. For example, Y35.003 covers injuries to suspects from “legal execution by shooting” (synonyms include “lawful killing” and “legal intervention”). Codes also specify the type of legal intervention, such as injury by handgun, machine gun, or rubber bullet, with 7th character extensions to indicate whether the encounter is initial, subsequent, or sequela. Similarly, codes in Y36 and Y37 specify war and military operations, detailing injuries from explosions, destruction of aircraft, fires, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, distinguishing between military personnel and civilians. Terrorism-related injuries are coded in Y38, covering causes such as explosions, firearms, chemical and biological weapons, including specific roles like public safety officials, civilians, terrorists, with encounter type distinctions.

These codes help accurately report the context and nature of injuries sustained during official interventions, armed conflicts, and terrorist activities, aiding precise clinical documentation and epidemiological tracking.