Contus/lac/hem brnst w LOC >24 hr w/o ret consc w surv, subs

This code signifies a severe traumatic brain injury involving contusion, laceration, and/or hemorrhage of the brainstem. The patient experienced a prolonged loss of consciousness exceeding 24 hours, and has not returned to their baseline conscious level, but has survived the initial injury.

Apply this code for follow-up encounters when a patient is receiving ongoing care for a brainstem injury with the specified severity and outcome. Documentation should clearly indicate the brainstem involvement, the duration of unconsciousness, the lack of return to pre-existing conscious level, and the "D" seventh character indicating a subsequent encounter.

• Ensure documentation explicitly states "loss of consciousness greater than 24 hours" and "without return to pre-existing conscious level."
• Verify the encounter type is subsequent (D) for ongoing care, not initial (A) or sequela (S).
• Differentiate from codes indicating a return to pre-existing conscious level or different LOC durations.