Other displaced fracture of fifth cervical vertebra, sequela

This code signifies a long-term complication or late effect stemming from a previously sustained, displaced fracture of the fifth cervical vertebra (C5). It indicates that the initial injury has healed, but the patient continues to experience residual issues directly attributable to that fracture.

Apply this code when documentation clearly indicates a sequela (e.g., chronic pain, neurological deficit, instability, nonunion, malunion) resulting from a past displaced C5 fracture. The patient's current encounter must be for the management of these persistent issues, not the initial acute fracture treatment.

• Requires a seventh character "S" to denote sequela; do not use "A" for initial encounter or "D" for subsequent encounter.
• Always sequence this code after the code describing the specific sequela (e.g., G83.5 for quadriplegia, M54.2 for cervicalgia).
• Ensure documentation explicitly links the current condition to the prior C5 fracture and specifies it as a "sequela," "late effect," or "due to old fracture."