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  5. Other effects of reduced temperature (T69)

Other effects of reduced temperature (T69)

The ICD-10 code T69 category is used to document various heat-lowering injuries and conditions caused by cold exposure, such as immersion injuries to hands and feet, chilblains, and other effects of reduced temperature. These codes help classify the specific nature and location of cold-related conditions, like immersion hand or immersion foot, also known as trench foot.

This section distinguishes between different affected limbs and encounter types; initial, subsequent, or sequelae (aftereffects). For example, T69.021 is the ICD-10 code for immersion foot of the right foot, commonly called right trench foot, while T69.1XXA identifies chilblains, also known as local cold injury or familial chilblain lupus erythematosus, at the initial visit. The codes under T69.8XX cover other specified cold-related injuries including frost nip, cold burns, and cold-induced neuropathy. When the cold injury details are not clear, T69.9XX captures unspecified effects of reduced temperature. These codes ensure precise reporting and aid healthcare professionals in managing temperature-related injuries accurately.

Instructional Notations

Use Additional Code

The “use additional code” indicates that a secondary code could be used to further specify the patient’s condition. This note is not mandatory and is only used if enough information is available to assign an additional code.

  • code to identify source of exposure:
  • Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin W93
  • Exposure to excessive cold of natural origin X31

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.

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 T69

7th Character

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

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

Clinical Terms

The following clinical terms provide additional context, helping users better understand the clinical background and common associations for each diagnosis listed in this section. Including related terms alongside ICD-10-CM codes supports coders, billers, and healthcare professionals in improving accuracy, enhancing documentation, and facilitating research or patient education.

Chilblains

Recurrent localized itching, swelling and painful erythema on the fingers, toes or ears, produced by exposure to cold.

Cold Injury

A physical injury caused by exposure of the body to extremely low ambient temperatures that may lead to loss of body parts, or in extreme cases, death. Examples of cold injury are FROSTBITE and CHILBLAINS.

Immersion Foot

A condition of the feet produced by prolonged exposure of the feet to water. Exposure for 48 hours or more to warm water causes tropical immersion foot or warm-water immersion foot common in Vietnam where troops were exposed to prolonged or repeated wading in paddy fields or streams. Trench foot results from prolonged exposure to cold, without actual freezing. It was common in trench warfare during World War I, when soldiers stood, sometimes for hours, in trenches with a few inches of cold water in them. (Andrews' Diseases of the Skin, 8th ed, p27)