Chronic passive congestion of liver

This code describes a condition where the liver becomes engorged with blood due to impaired outflow, typically from right-sided heart failure or other conditions causing increased central venous pressure. This chronic congestion leads to hepatomegaly and can result in liver cell damage over time.

Use this code when documentation explicitly states "chronic passive congestion of liver" or "congestive hepatopathy" due to a cardiac or systemic cause. It is appropriate for patients presenting with signs and symptoms such as tender hepatomegaly, ascites, or abnormal liver function tests in the context of chronic venous congestion.

• Always code the underlying cause of the chronic passive congestion (e.g., heart failure) first, as K76.1 is a manifestation code.
• Distinguish from acute passive congestion (R16.0) if the documentation specifies an acute presentation.
• Ensure documentation clearly indicates "chronic" to support this specific code.