Poisoning by digestants, accidental (unintentional), sequela

This code signifies a long-term or late-effect condition resulting from an accidental ingestion of a digestant substance. It indicates that the acute poisoning event has resolved, but the patient continues to experience residual health problems directly attributable to that past exposure.

Apply this code when documenting a patient presenting with a chronic condition, such as esophageal stricture, malabsorption, or other organ damage, that is a direct and lasting consequence of an unintentional digestant poisoning that occurred in the past. This code is appropriate for follow-up encounters addressing these persistent sequelae, not the initial acute poisoning event.

• Always use this code as a secondary diagnosis, following the code for the specific sequela (e.g., K22.2 for esophageal obstruction).
• Ensure the medical record clearly links the current condition to a past accidental digestant poisoning.
• Do not use this code for acute poisoning events; those require codes from the acute poisoning categories.