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tunneling of right VAD cannulas into the upper abdominal wall

Date: Nov 6, 2020

Question:

The physician placed a VAD a few days before and left the patient's chest open. The patient came back in for surgery to have a mediastinal washout, a chest closure, and to tunnel the VAD cannulas into the upper abdominal wall. I cannot find a code for the tunneling of the cannulas, as that is usually included in the initial placement. What would you suggest?

Question ID : 14651
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