Other injury of bronchus, unilateral, initial encounter

This code signifies an injury to a single bronchus that is not specifically categorized as a contusion, laceration, or puncture. It encompasses various other forms of damage to the bronchial tree on one side of the chest, such as crush injuries, avulsions, or tears not meeting the criteria for a laceration. This code is used for the initial treatment of such an injury.

Use this code when documenting the initial encounter for a patient presenting with a unilateral bronchial injury that is not a contusion, laceration, or puncture wound. This could include injuries sustained from blunt force trauma, penetrating trauma where the specific type of injury is not a laceration, or iatrogenic injuries during procedures.

• Ensure the documentation clearly specifies the injury is to a single bronchus and not bilateral.
• Verify that the injury type does not fit the descriptions for contusion (S27.41-), laceration (S27.42-), or puncture (S27.43-).
• Confirm this is the initial encounter for treatment of this specific injury; subsequent encounters would use the appropriate S27.491D or S27.491S codes.