Ventilator associated pneumonia

This code signifies a lung infection, specifically pneumonia, that develops in a patient who is receiving mechanical ventilation. It is a serious complication often seen in critically ill patients in intensive care units.

Apply this code when documentation clearly indicates pneumonia developed after a patient was intubated and placed on a ventilator. Supporting documentation should include clinical signs of pneumonia (e.g., new infiltrates on chest X-ray, purulent sputum, fever) and a temporal relationship to mechanical ventilation.

• Ensure physician documentation explicitly links the pneumonia to ventilator use; avoid assuming causation.
• Sequence this code after the underlying condition necessitating mechanical ventilation, if applicable.
• Do not use for pneumonia present prior to intubation or for lung conditions in newborns related to ventilation (refer to the Excludes1 note).