2024 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z18.81

Retained glass fragments

ICD-10-CM Code:
Z18.81
ICD-10 Code for:
Retained glass fragments
Is Billable?
Yes - Valid for Submission
Code Navigator:

Code Classification

  • Factors influencing health status and contact with health services
    (Z00–Z99)
    • Retained foreign body fragments
      (Z18)
      • Retained foreign body fragments
        (Z18)

Z18.81 is a billable diagnosis code used to specify a medical diagnosis of retained glass fragments. The code is valid during the current fiscal year for the submission of HIPAA-covered transactions from October 01, 2023 through September 30, 2024. The code is exempt from present on admission (POA) reporting for inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals.

This code describes a circumstance which influences the patient's health status but not a current illness or injury. The code is unacceptable as a principal diagnosis.

Approximate Synonyms

The following clinical terms are approximate synonyms or lay terms that might be used to identify the correct diagnosis code:

  • Foreign body in heel
  • Foreign body in lip
  • Foreign body of breast
  • Glass foreign body in skin
  • Glass in abdomen
  • Glass in ankle
  • Glass in anterior region of neck
  • Glass in axilla
  • Glass in back
  • Glass in breast
  • Glass in buttock
  • Glass in calf
  • Glass in cheek
  • Glass in chest
  • Glass in chest
  • Glass in dorsum of foot
  • Glass in dorsum of hand
  • Glass in ear region
  • Glass in elbow
  • Glass in eye region
  • Glass in face
  • Glass in face
  • Glass in face
  • Glass in face
  • Glass in foot
  • Glass in foot
  • Glass in foot
  • Glass in forehead
  • Glass in genitalia
  • Glass in great toe
  • Glass in groin
  • Glass in hand
  • Glass in hand
  • Glass in hand
  • Glass in hand
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head
  • Glass in head and neck
  • Glass in heel
  • Glass in hip
  • Glass in knee
  • Glass in lip
  • Glass in lower leg
  • Glass in lower leg
  • Glass in neck
  • Glass in neck
  • Glass in palm of hand
  • Glass in perineum
  • Glass in pharynx
  • Glass in scalp
  • Glass in shin
  • Glass in shoulder
  • Glass in shoulder
  • Glass in sole of foot
  • Glass in thigh
  • Glass in thumb
  • Glass in toe
  • Glass in toe
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in trunk
  • Glass in wrist
  • Retained glass fragment foreign body
  • Superficial glass foreign body

Clinical Classification

Index to Diseases and Injuries References

The following annotation back-references for this diagnosis code are found in the injuries and diseases index. The Index to Diseases and Injuries is an alphabetical listing of medical terms, with each term mapped to one or more ICD-10-CM code(s).

Code Edits

The Medicare Code Editor (MCE) detects and reports errors in the coding of claims data. The following ICD-10-CM Code Edits are applicable to this code:

  • Unacceptable principal diagnosis - There are selected codes that describe a circumstance which influences an individual's health status but not a current illness or injury, or codes that are not specific manifestations but may be due to an underlying cause. These codes are considered unacceptable as a principal diagnosis.

Present on Admission (POA)

Z18.81 is exempt from POA reporting - The Present on Admission (POA) indicator is used for diagnosis codes included in claims involving inpatient admissions to general acute care hospitals. POA indicators must be reported to CMS on each claim to facilitate the grouping of diagnoses codes into the proper Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG). CMS publishes a listing of specific diagnosis codes that are exempt from the POA reporting requirement. Review other POA exempt codes here.

CMS POA Indicator Options and Definitions

POA IndicatorReason for CodeCMS will pay the CC/MCC DRG?
YDiagnosis was present at time of inpatient admission.YES
NDiagnosis was not present at time of inpatient admission.NO
UDocumentation insufficient to determine if the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.NO
WClinically undetermined - unable to clinically determine whether the condition was present at the time of inpatient admission.YES
1Unreported/Not used - Exempt from POA reporting. NO

Convert Z18.81 to ICD-9-CM

  • ICD-9-CM Code: V90.81 - Retained glass fragments

Patient Education


Foreign Bodies

If you've ever gotten a splinter or had sand in your eye, you've had experience with a foreign body. A foreign body is something that is stuck inside you but isn't supposed to be there. You may inhale or swallow a foreign body, or you may get one from an injury to almost any part of your body. Foreign bodies are more common in small children, who sometimes stick things in their mouths, ears, and noses.

Some foreign bodies, like a small splinter, do not cause serious harm. Inhaled or swallowed foreign bodies may cause choking or bowel obstruction and may require medical care.


[Learn More in MedlinePlus]

Code History

  • FY 2024 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024
  • FY 2023 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2022 through 9/30/2023
  • FY 2022 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2021 through 9/30/2022
  • FY 2021 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2020 through 9/30/2021
  • FY 2020 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2019 through 9/30/2020
  • FY 2019 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2019
  • FY 2018 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2017 through 9/30/2018
  • FY 2017 - No Change, effective from 10/1/2016 through 9/30/2017
  • FY 2016 - New Code, effective from 10/1/2015 through 9/30/2016. This was the first year ICD-10-CM was implemented into the HIPAA code set.