Burn of second degree of unspecified ear, sequela

This code signifies a second-degree burn affecting any part of the external ear, excluding the eardrum, where the burn itself is no longer acute but has left a lasting effect or complication. Second-degree burns involve the epidermis and dermis, characterized by blistering, pain, and redness. The "sequela" designation indicates that the current encounter is for a complication or residual condition resulting from the original burn injury.

Use this code when documenting follow-up care for a patient who previously sustained a second-degree burn to the ear, and the current visit addresses a long-term consequence such as scarring, contracture, or chronic pain directly attributable to that burn. This code is appropriate for encounters where the acute burn has healed, but its lasting impact is being managed.

• Always assign an external cause code (V00-Y99) to describe the circumstances of the burn injury, even for sequela codes.
• Do not use this code for acute burn treatment; instead, use the appropriate acute burn code (T20.21x).
• Consider additional codes for specific sequelae, such as hypertrophic scarring (L91.0) or contracture (M24.5x), if applicable.