Ask Dr. Z

Ask Dr. Z Knowledge Base houses over 7,500 coding questions and answers dating back to 2013.

Ask Dr. Z Disclaimer

Please note this question was answered in 2022. The coding advice may or may not be outdated.

Facial artery ligation

Date: Jul 29, 2022

Question:

"The wound in question on the left jaw was sharply incised with a 15 blade, and necrotic tissue removed. A cavity was found where there was evidence of a prior glass foreign body, but it was not present at the current time. A vigorously bleeding branch of the facial artery was encountered, which had been lacerated. It was suture ligated with a 3-0 vicryl suture. Wound was irrigated and closed with multiple deep interrupted 4-0 Monocryl sutures."

There is some internal debate if 37600 can be reported since the facial artery is a branch of the external carotid, or if unlisted code 37799 is more appropriate.

Sign up for a membership to view the answer to this question.

Need to ask Dr.Z?

Don't see the answer you're looking for in the knowledge base? No problem. You can ask Dr. Z directly!
Ask Dr. Z a question now!