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  5. Unspecified cause of accidental drowning and submersion (W74)

Unspecified cause of accidental drowning and submersion (W74)

The ICD-10 code W74 covers incidents of accidental drowning and submersion where the specific cause is not identified. These codes are used to classify injuries or medical encounters related to drowning events without a clear or specified reason.

The section includes three key variations: W74.XXXA for the initial encounter, W74.XXXD for subsequent encounters, and W74.XXXS for sequela, or late effects, following the drowning incident. Commonly referred to terms like "dry drowning," "immersion accident," or "aspiration pneumonitis due to near drowning" all fall under this code family. Medical coders use these codes when the drowning or submersion was accidental but the cause remains unspecified, whether during recreation, work, or rescue attempts. If you need to identify the ICD-10 code for accidental drowning without a known cause, this W74 category accurately captures such cases for proper documentation and treatment planning.

Instructional Notations

Inclusion Terms

These terms are the conditions for which that code is to be used. The terms may be synonyms of the code title, or, in the case of "other specified" codes, the terms are a list of the various conditions assigned to that code. The inclusion terms are not necessarily exhaustive. Additional terms found only in the Alphabetic Index may also be assigned to a code.

  • Drowning NOS

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 code W74

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.

Drowning

Death that occurs as a result of anoxia or heart arrest, associated with immersion in liquid.

Epilepsy, Reflex

A subtype of epilepsy characterized by seizures that are consistently provoked by a certain specific stimulus. Auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimuli as well as the acts of writing, reading, eating, and decision making are examples of events or activities that may induce seizure activity in affected individuals. (From Neurol Clin 1994 Feb;12(1):57-8)

Immersion

The placing of a body or a part thereof into a liquid.

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)

Near Drowning

Non-fatal immersion or submersion in water. The subject is resuscitable.