Anoxic brain damage

This code signifies brain injury resulting from a complete lack of oxygen to the brain tissue. This oxygen deprivation leads to widespread neuronal cell death and subsequent neurological dysfunction. It is a severe form of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Apply this code when documentation explicitly states "anoxic brain damage," "anoxic encephalopathy," or "cerebral anoxia" as a diagnosis. This typically occurs following events such as cardiac arrest, severe respiratory failure, or suffocation where cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivery cease.

• Differentiate from hypoxic brain damage (insufficient oxygen) which has a different code.
• Always sequence this code after the underlying cause of the anoxia (e.g., cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest).
• Ensure documentation specifies "anoxic" rather than just "hypoxic" for accurate code assignment.