Late effect of internal injury to other internal organs

This code signifies a health problem that arises as a long-term consequence of a past injury to an internal organ, excluding the central nervous system, eye, or ear. It describes conditions like chronic pain, organ dysfunction, or structural changes that manifest weeks, months, or even years after the initial trauma has healed.

Apply this code when documentation clearly links a current medical condition to a previous internal organ injury. This is appropriate for sequelae such as adhesions causing bowel obstruction after abdominal trauma, chronic liver dysfunction following a laceration, or persistent kidney damage from a contusion. The medical record must explicitly state the causal relationship and the original injury.

• Always sequence this code after the code identifying the specific late effect (e.g., chronic pancreatitis, intestinal obstruction).
• Do not use for acute or subacute complications directly following the initial injury; those are coded with acute injury codes.
• Ensure documentation specifies the affected internal organ and the nature of the late effect.