Pathological fracture, unspecified foot, sequela

This code signifies a pathological fracture of an unspecified foot that occurred in the past and is now causing ongoing issues or complications. A pathological fracture is one caused by a disease process that weakens the bone, rather than by trauma. The "sequela" seventh character indicates that the patient is currently experiencing a residual effect or late effect of the original fracture.

Use this code when a patient presents with a current problem directly attributable to a previously healed or resolved pathological fracture of the foot. Documentation should clearly state the pathological nature of the original fracture and describe the current sequela, such as chronic pain, deformity, nonunion, or malunion. This code is appropriate for follow-up visits addressing these long-term effects.

• Always sequence this sequela code first when the sequela is the primary reason for the encounter.
• Do not use this code for acute pathological fractures; use the appropriate acute pathological fracture code with the initial, subsequent, or routine healing seventh character.
• Ensure documentation specifies "pathological" and "sequela" to support the use of this specific code.