Heart transplant failure

This diagnosis code signifies the inability of a transplanted heart to adequately perform its circulatory function. It indicates a significant deterioration in the allograft's performance, leading to symptoms of heart failure. This can manifest as reduced cardiac output, fluid retention, and organ hypoperfusion.

Apply this code when documentation clearly indicates that a patient's transplanted heart is failing. This includes situations where the patient is experiencing acute or chronic heart failure symptoms directly attributable to the transplanted organ, such as graft dysfunction, rejection leading to failure, or primary graft failure. It is appropriate for both initial presentations and exacerbations of heart transplant failure.

• Always ensure documentation specifies "heart transplant failure" rather than general heart failure to support this code.
• Look for associated complications or causes of the failure (e.g., rejection, infection) and code them additionally.
• Distinguish from post-transplant complications that do not directly represent failure of the transplanted organ itself.