Late effect of complications of surgical and medical care

This code signifies a health problem that arises as a delayed consequence of an adverse event or complication experienced during a past surgical procedure or medical intervention. It describes a condition that manifests after the acute phase of the initial complication has resolved, but is directly attributable to it.

Assign this code when a patient presents with a current condition that is a sequela of a previous complication from surgery, medical care, or a medical device. Documentation must clearly link the current condition to a past adverse event, such as chronic pain following surgical nerve damage or organ dysfunction due to a prior medical device malfunction.

• Always sequence this code after the code identifying the specific late effect (e.g., chronic pain, stricture).
• Ensure documentation explicitly states the "late effect" or "sequela" of a prior complication.
• Do not use for acute complications; those are coded with specific complication codes from the 996-999 series.