Injury of unspecified iliac artery, initial encounter

This code signifies an injury to any part of the iliac artery (common, external, or internal) where the specific vessel involved is not documented. It indicates damage such as a laceration, contusion, or rupture to this major blood vessel supplying the pelvis and lower limbs. This is for the initial treatment of the injury.

Use this code when documentation clearly states an iliac artery injury but does not specify which of the three iliac arteries (common, external, or internal) was affected. This is appropriate for the initial encounter where the patient is receiving active treatment for the injury.

• Ensure the documentation explicitly states "unspecified iliac artery" or lacks specificity regarding the exact iliac artery injured.
• Confirm this is the patient's initial encounter for this specific injury; subsequent care would use a different seventh character.
• Always attempt to query the provider for greater specificity (common, external, or internal iliac artery) before resorting to an unspecified code.