K55.049

Billable

Acute infarction of large intestine, extent unspecified

HCC Category Mapping

V24HCC 107 — Vascular Disease with Complications

0.450

ESRDHCC 107 — Vascular Disease with Complications

0.000

What This Code Means

Death of tissue in the large intestine due to blocked blood flow, but the specific area affected is not specified.

Coding Tips

•This is the least specific infarction code for the large intestine; use only when extent cannot be determined from documentation.
•Review records to determine if focal or diffuse coding is more appropriate before defaulting to this unspecified code.

Clinical Significance

Acute infarction of large intestine with unspecified extent indicates established colonic necrosis requiring emergency intervention and intensive care. This diagnosis represents severe vascular disease with tissue death necessitating urgent surgical evaluation and aggressive management.

Documentation Requirements

✓Acute severe abdominal pain onset
✓Imaging confirmation of large bowel infarction
✓Evidence of established tissue necrosis
✓Extent of involvement not clearly specified
✓Emergency surgical evaluation performed
✓Underlying vascular etiology documented
✓Treatment response and complications noted

Commonly Confused Codes

K55.041 — Focal infarction when segmental involvement documented K55.042 — Diffuse infarction when widespread involvement documented K55.039 — Acute ischemia when tissue is still viable K51.919 — Ulcerative colitis complications without infarction

Code Hierarchy

└K55Vascular disorders of intestine └K55.0Acute vascular disorders of intestine └K55.04Acute infarction of large intestine └K55.049Acute infarction of large intestine, extent unspecified

└K55.049Acute infarction of large intestine, extent unspecified