Cardiac arrest following complete or unsp spon abortion

This code signifies the occurrence of cardiac arrest as a direct complication of a complete or unspecified spontaneous abortion. It indicates a severe, life-threatening cardiovascular event that transpired during or immediately following the natural termination of a pregnancy.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states cardiac arrest occurred in a patient experiencing a complete or unspecified spontaneous abortion. This includes cases where the cause of the abortion is not specified or when the abortion is documented as having fully occurred. Supporting documentation should detail both the spontaneous abortion and the subsequent cardiac arrest.

• Always sequence the spontaneous abortion code (O03.-) as the primary diagnosis, followed by this code for the cardiac arrest.
• Ensure documentation specifies "spontaneous abortion" and not an induced abortion, as different codes apply for complications of induced abortions.
• Verify that the cardiac arrest is explicitly linked as a complication of the abortion; if unrelated, a separate code for cardiac arrest would be used.