ICD-9 Code 996.02

Mechanical complication due to heart valve prosthesis

Not Valid for Submission

996.02 is a legacy non-billable code used to specify a medical diagnosis of mechanical complication due to heart valve prosthesis. This code was replaced on September 30, 2015 by its ICD-10 equivalent.

ICD-9: 996.02
Short Description:Malfunc prosth hrt valve
Long Description:Mechanical complication due to heart valve prosthesis

Convert 996.02 to ICD-10

The following crosswalk between ICD-9 to ICD-10 is based based on the General Equivalence Mappings (GEMS) information:

  • T82.01XA - Breakdown (mechanical) of heart valve prosthesis, init
  • T82.02XA - Displacement of heart valve prosthesis, initial encounter
  • T82.03XA - Leakage of heart valve prosthesis, initial encounter
  • T82.09XA - Mech compl of heart valve prosthesis, initial encounter

Code Classification

  • Injury and poisoning (800–999)
    • Complications of surgical and medical care, not elsewhere classified (996-999)
      • 996 Complications peculiar to certain specified procedures

Information for Medical Professionals

Index to Diseases and Injuries

References found for the code 996.02 in the Index of Diseases and Injuries:


Information for Patients


Heart Surgery

What is heart surgery?

Heart surgery can correct certain heart problems when other treatments haven't worked or can't be used.

In some cases, heart surgery may be a medical emergency. For example, surgery for a severe heart attack may need to be done right away. In other cases, you can plan heart surgery ahead of time. Some heart surgeries are major operations, such as heart bypass surgery for blocked arteries in the heart. Other surgeries are more minor heart procedures, such as putting in a pacemaker.

What conditions does heart surgery treat?

There are different types of heart surgery that can help treat many heart conditions:

What conditions does heart surgery treat? What does the heart surgery do?
Coronary artery disease (CAD) - when a sticky substance called plaque narrows or blocks the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle. Makes a new path for blood to flow around the blocked part of an artery in the heart. This is called a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), or heart bypass. It's the most common heart surgery in adults.
Heart valve diseases - problems with the valves that control the flow of blood through your heart. Repairs heart valves.

Replaces heart valves with a mechanical valve or a biologic valve made from pig, cow, or human heart tissue.
Arrhythmia - problems with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. They are caused by changes in the electrical signals that control your heartbeat. Places a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in the chest to correct your heartbeat.

Treats atrial fibrillation with small cuts in the heart muscle. The cuts form scars that make a path for the heart's electrical signals (Maze surgery).
Heart failure - when your heart is too weak or stiff to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to meet your body's needs. Places a device in the chest which may include:
  • An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to help prevent sudden cardiac arrest.
  • A biventricular pacemaker to coordinate the heart's pumping action so it's more powerful.
  • A ventricular assist device to help the heart pump blood.
  • A total artificial heart to pump blood for the heart.
Replaces a seriously diseased heart with a heathy heart (heart transplantation).
Heart aneurysm - a balloon-like bulge in the wall of an artery. It can be life-threatening if the aneurysm tears or bursts. Repairs or replaces the weak part of a heart artery using a patch or a tube made of fabric.
Angina - chest pain from coronary artery disease. Uses a laser to make small channels through part of the heart muscle (transmyocardial laser revascularization).
Damaged and abnormal heart structures, including congenital heart defects - heart structure problems that you're born with. Repairs heart damage or problems with how the heart and blood vessels are formed. Repairs depend on the type of defect or damage.

What approaches do surgeons use to do heart surgery?

The approach a surgeon uses to do heart surgery depends on your heart problem, your general health, and other factors. Approaches to heart surgery include:

  • Open-heart surgery (also called traditional heart surgery) is when the surgeon cuts the chest open to reach the heart. Because it's difficult to operate on a beating heart, medicines are used to stop the heart. A heart-lung bypass machine keeps oxygen-rich blood pumping through the body during the surgery.
  • Off-pump heart surgery is open-heart surgery on a beating heart without using a heart-lung bypass machine. The surgeon holds the heart steady with a device. Surgeons may use off-pump heart surgery to do coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG), but only in certain cases.
  • Minimally invasive heart surgery uses small cuts between the ribs. The cuts may be as small as 2 to 3 inches. The surgeon inserts tools into the chest through the cuts. This type of heart surgery may or may not use a heart-lung bypass machine.
  • Robotic-assisted surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery. The surgeon uses a computer to control tools on the arms of a robot. This allows the surgeon to be very accurate when doing difficult operations.

What are the risks of heart surgery?

Like all surgery, heart surgery has risks even though the results are often excellent. The risks include:

  • Bleeding
  • Infection, fever, and swelling
  • A problem from anesthesia (medicine that makes you sleep during surgery)
  • Arrhythmia
  • Damage to the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs
  • Stroke

The risks of heart surgery tend to be higher if:

  • The surgery is an emergency.
  • You have other medical conditions, including:
    • Diabetes
    • Kidney diseases
    • Lung diseases
    • Peripheral artery disease (PAD)

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


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Heart Valve Diseases

Your heart has four valves. Normally, these valves open to let blood flow through or out of your heart, and then shut to keep it from flowing backward. But sometimes they don't work properly. If they don't, you could have:

  • Regurgitation - when blood leaks back through the valve in the wrong direction
  • Mitral valve prolapse - when one of the valves, the mitral valve, has "floppy" flaps and doesn't close tightly. It's one of the most common heart valve conditions. Sometimes it causes regurgitation.
  • Stenosis - when the valve doesn't open enough and blocks blood flow

Valve problems can be present at birth or caused by infections, heart attacks, or heart disease or damage. The main sign of heart valve disease is an unusual heartbeat sound called a heart murmur. Your doctor can hear a heart murmur with a stethoscope. But many people have heart murmurs without having a problem. Heart tests can show if you have a heart valve disease. Some valve problems are minor and do not need treatment. Others might require medicine, medical procedures, or surgery to repair or replace the valve.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute


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ICD-9 Footnotes

General Equivalence Map Definitions
The ICD-9 and ICD-10 GEMs are used to facilitate linking between the diagnosis codes in ICD-9-CM and the new ICD-10-CM code set. The GEMs are the raw material from which providers, health information vendors and payers can derive specific applied mappings to meet their needs.

  • Approximate Flag - The approximate flag is on, indicating that the relationship between the code in the source system and the code in the target system is an approximate equivalent.
  • No Map Flag - The no map flag indicates that a code in the source system is not linked to any code in the target system.
  • Combination Flag - The combination flag indicates that more than one code in the target system is required to satisfy the full equivalent meaning of a code in the source system.

Index of Diseases and Injuries Definitions

  • And - The word "and" should be interpreted to mean either "and" or "or" when it appears in a title.
  • Code also note - A "code also" note instructs that two codes may be required to fully describe a condition, but this note does not provide sequencing direction.
  • Code first - Certain conditions have both an underlying etiology and multiple body system manifestations due to the underlying etiology. For such conditions, the ICD-10-CM has a coding convention that requires the underlying condition be sequenced first followed by the manifestation. Wherever such a combination exists, there is a "use additional code" note at the etiology code, and a "code first" note at the manifestation code. These instructional notes indicate the proper sequencing order of the codes, etiology followed by manifestation.
  • Type 1 Excludes Notes - A type 1 Excludes note is a pure excludes note. It means "NOT CODED HERE!" An Excludes1 note indicates that the code excluded should never be used at the same time as the code above the Excludes1 note. An Excludes1 is used when two conditions cannot occur together, such as a congenital form versus an acquired form of the same condition.
  • Type 2 Excludes Notes - 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.
  • Includes Notes - This note appears immediately under a three character code title to further define, or give examples of, the content of the category.
  • Inclusion terms - List of terms is included under some codes. 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.
  • NEC "Not elsewhere classifiable" - This abbreviation in the Alphabetic Index represents "other specified". When a specific code is not available for a condition, the Alphabetic Index directs the coder to the "other specified” code in the Tabular List.
  • NOS "Not otherwise specified" - This abbreviation is the equivalent of unspecified.
  • See - The "see" instruction following a main term in the Alphabetic Index indicates that another term should be referenced. It is necessary to go to the main term referenced with the "see" note to locate the correct code.
  • See Also - A "see also" instruction following a main term in the Alphabetic Index instructs that there is another main term that may also be referenced that may provide additional Alphabetic Index entries that may be useful. It is not necessary to follow the "see also" note when the original main term provides the necessary code.
  • 7th Characters - 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.
  • With - The word "with" should be interpreted to mean "associated with" or "due to" when it appears in a code title, the Alphabetic Index, or an instructional note in the Tabular List. The word "with" in the Alphabetic Index is sequenced immediately following the main term, not in alphabetical order.