Disruption of perineal obstetric wound

This code signifies a breakdown or separation of a surgical incision in the perineum that occurred as a result of childbirth. This includes dehiscence of an episiotomy or a perineal laceration repair. It indicates a failure of the wound to heal properly, leading to a reopening of the surgical site.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states a disruption, dehiscence, or breakdown of an obstetric perineal wound. This typically occurs post-delivery, and the documentation should specify the perineal location and its obstetric origin. Supporting documentation includes operative reports for the initial repair and subsequent notes detailing the wound dehiscence.

• Differentiate from infection without disruption; this code specifically requires wound separation.
• Ensure the wound disruption is explicitly linked to an obstetric event, not a non-obstetric perineal injury.
• Sequence this code after the primary obstetric delivery code if the disruption occurs during the postpartum period of the same encounter.