Unspecified injury of right vertebral artery, init encntr

This code signifies an injury to the right vertebral artery where the specific nature of the injury (e.g., dissection, laceration, thrombosis) is not documented. It indicates the patient is in the active treatment phase for this acute vascular trauma.

Apply this code when a patient presents with a documented injury to the right vertebral artery, but the provider's notes do not specify the type of injury. This is appropriate for the initial hospital visit or encounter where the injury is first evaluated and treated. Documentation should clearly state "right vertebral artery injury, unspecified."

• Ensure the documentation explicitly states "unspecified" if the specific type of injury is unknown; otherwise, a more specific code may be available.
• Verify laterality (right) is clearly documented. If left or bilateral, a different code is required.
• Confirm this is the initial encounter for active treatment of the injury; subsequent encounters will require a different seventh character.