Oth acute nonsuppurative otitis media, recurrent, bilateral

This code signifies an inflammation of the middle ear, not caused by pus-forming bacteria, that occurs repeatedly in both ears. It describes a non-infectious or sterile inflammatory process affecting the middle ear space, presenting as recurrent episodes.

Apply this code for patients experiencing recurring episodes of acute otitis media without evidence of purulent discharge or bacterial infection, affecting both ears. Documentation should clearly state "recurrent," "acute," "nonsuppurative," and "bilateral" to support its use.

• Differentiate from chronic nonsuppurative otitis media (H65.2-), which implies persistent inflammation rather than recurrent acute episodes.
• Ensure documentation specifies "acute" and "recurrent" to distinguish from a single acute episode (H65.11-) or chronic conditions.
• Do not use if there is any indication of suppuration (pus formation); instead, consider codes from the H66 category for suppurative otitis media.