J93.12

What This Code Means

A collapsed lung that occurs spontaneously (without trauma) as a complication of an underlying lung disease such as COPD, cystic fibrosis, or emphysema. Air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, causing the lung to partially or completely collapse.

Coding Tips

• •Always code the underlying lung disease first (such as COPD or emphysema), then assign J93.12 as a secondary diagnosis to show it resulted from that condition
• •Verify documentation specifies 'secondary' (due to underlying disease) rather than 'primary' (spontaneous without known lung disease), as these are coded differently