Metabolic acidemia in newborn (P19)

ICD-10 code P19 covers cases of metabolic acidemia in newborns, a condition where an infant has excessive acid in the blood due to metabolic causes. These codes specify when the acidemia is first detected relative to labor and birth.

The codes range from P19.0, used when metabolic acidemia is first noted before labor begins, to P19.1, for acidemia identified during labor, and P19.2, for acidemia observed at the time of birth. When the timing is unclear, P19.9 captures unspecified metabolic acidemia in newborns. This condition is important to distinguish because it can be related to neonatal acidemia and hypoxia, and synonyms like neonatal metabolic acidemia, lactic acidemia, and birth asphyxia with metabolic acidemia of cord blood often appear in clinical notes. Using the correct ICD-10 code for metabolic acidemia in newborns helps identify the onset timing, guiding accurate diagnosis and health records management.