Grand mal status

This code signifies a severe and prolonged generalized tonic-clonic seizure, or a series of such seizures without full recovery of consciousness between episodes. It represents a medical emergency characterized by continuous or rapidly recurring convulsive activity.

Assign this code when documentation clearly indicates a patient is experiencing status epilepticus with grand mal (generalized tonic-clonic) features. This typically involves a seizure lasting longer than five minutes, or multiple seizures without regaining consciousness, requiring urgent medical intervention.

• Differentiate from isolated grand mal seizures (e.g., 345.1) where the patient recovers between episodes.
• Always sequence this code as the primary diagnosis if it is the reason for the encounter.
• Ensure documentation specifies "status" or "continuous" grand mal activity to support this code.