Birth injury to spine and spinal cord

This code describes damage to an infant's spinal column or spinal cord that occurs during the birth process. This can include fractures, dislocations, or neurological deficits resulting from mechanical forces during delivery. The injury may manifest as paralysis, weakness, or sensory loss.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates a spinal injury in a neonate directly attributable to the birthing process. This includes conditions like spinal cord transection, vertebral fractures, or brachial plexus injuries where the mechanism is explicitly linked to birth trauma. Supporting documentation should detail the injury and its causal relationship to delivery.

• Always sequence this code as a primary diagnosis if it is the reason for the admission or encounter.
• Specify the exact nature of the spinal injury with additional codes from Chapter 19 (Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes) if known.
• Distinguish from congenital spinal anomalies (Q05-Q07) which are present at birth but not caused by the birth process itself.