Sepsis due to Serratia

This code signifies a severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) caused by an infection with Serratia bacteria. Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction resulting from a dysregulated host response to infection, and in this specific instance, the causative organism has been identified as Serratia.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states a diagnosis of sepsis and laboratory or clinical findings confirm Serratia as the infecting pathogen. This typically occurs in hospitalized patients with signs of organ dysfunction (e.g., acute kidney injury, respiratory failure) in the presence of a positive Serratia culture from blood or other sterile sites.

• Always sequence this code after the underlying infection (if known and not inherent to the sepsis definition, e.g., pneumonia due to Serratia).
• Ensure documentation specifies "sepsis" or "septic shock" and explicitly names Serratia as the causative agent.
• Do not use this code for bacteremia without evidence of systemic inflammatory response or organ dysfunction.