Sepsis due to Enterococcus

This code identifies sepsis specifically caused by an Enterococcus species. Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, and Enterococcus is a common bacterium often implicated in healthcare-associated infections.

This code is used when documentation clearly states a diagnosis of sepsis and laboratory or clinical evidence confirms Enterococcus as the causative organism. This typically occurs in cases of bacteremia, urinary tract infections, or wound infections progressing to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and organ dysfunction due to Enterococcus.

• Always sequence the underlying infection (e.g., enterococcal bacteremia, enterococcal UTI) before this code, if applicable.
• Ensure documentation explicitly links Enterococcus as the cause of the sepsis, not just a co-existing infection.
• Do not use this code for uncomplicated Enterococcus infections without evidence of systemic inflammatory response and organ dysfunction.