Vomiting following gastrointestinal surgery

This code signifies the occurrence of emesis as a direct consequence of a surgical intervention involving the gastrointestinal tract. It indicates a postoperative complication where the patient experiences vomiting, which may range from mild nausea with emesis to persistent, severe vomiting.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states vomiting occurring after any surgical procedure on the GI system. This includes procedures such as gastrectomy, colectomy, appendectomy, or bariatric surgery, where the vomiting is directly attributed to the surgical event.

• Ensure documentation specifies a causal link between the GI surgery and the vomiting.
• Do not use for vomiting due to anesthesia alone; consider codes from category T88.5- for those cases.
• Sequence this code as a secondary diagnosis following the code for the primary reason for the encounter or the underlying condition requiring surgery, if applicable.