Burn of unspecified degree of left wrist, sequela

This code indicates a burn injury to the left wrist where the specific depth or degree of the burn (e.g., first, second, third) was not documented at the time of the initial injury. The "S" seventh character signifies that this code is for a sequela, meaning it's used to report a late effect or complication of the original burn, such as a scar, contracture, or chronic pain, after the acute phase of healing has passed.

Use this code when documenting a long-term consequence or residual condition directly resulting from a past burn to the left wrist, and the original burn's degree was never specified in the medical record. This applies to follow-up encounters for managing chronic issues related to the burn, not for the initial treatment of the acute burn itself.

• Always assign an external cause code (V00-Y99) in conjunction with this code to describe the circumstances of the burn.
• Ensure documentation clearly supports that the current condition is a late effect of a burn and that the original burn degree was unspecified.
• Do not use this code for acute burn treatment; instead, use the appropriate acute burn code with the correct seventh character.