Other specified septicemias

This code signifies a systemic inflammatory response to an infection, specifically when the causative organism is identified but does not fall into more specific categories of septicemia. It represents a severe, life-threatening condition characterized by the presence of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins in the blood. This diagnosis indicates a confirmed bloodstream infection with a specified, but otherwise unclassifiable, pathogen.

Use this code when documentation clearly identifies septicemia due to a specific organism that is not covered by more precise ICD-9-CM codes for septicemia (e.g., staphylococcal, streptococcal, gram-negative). This typically applies when laboratory cultures confirm a bacterial or fungal infection in the blood, and the physician's diagnosis explicitly states "other specified septicemia" or similar. Supporting documentation includes positive blood cultures and a physician's diagnostic statement.

• Always sequence the underlying infection first, if known and still active, followed by this septicemia code.
• Ensure the medical record specifies the causative organism; if not, consider unspecified septicemia codes.
• Differentiate from bacteremia (presence of bacteria in blood without systemic symptoms) and sepsis (systemic inflammatory response syndrome due to infection).