Food in pharynx causing other injury, subsequent encounter

This code signifies a patient presenting for follow-up care related to an injury in the pharynx caused by an aspirated food item. The initial aspiration event has already occurred, and the current encounter addresses ongoing symptoms, complications, or recovery from the initial injury.

Use this code for subsequent visits where a patient is being monitored or treated for residual effects, complications (e.g., infection, persistent irritation, dysphagia), or recovery from a pharyngeal injury due to food aspiration. This applies after the initial acute treatment of the aspiration event.

• Requires a seventh character "D" for subsequent encounter, indicating ongoing care.
• Do not use for the initial treatment of the aspiration event; that would require an "A" for initial encounter.
• Always code with an external cause code (W44.-) to specify the type of foreign body and the activity at the time of the event.