Poisoning by tricyclic antidepressants, assault, init encntr

This code signifies an intentional act of poisoning with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) where the patient is the victim of an assault. It indicates that the patient was administered or exposed to TCAs by another individual with malicious intent, leading to toxic effects. This code is used for the initial presentation of such an event.

Apply this code when documentation clearly states a patient's TCA poisoning was due to an assault by another party. This would include scenarios where a patient was forcibly given TCAs or had them secretly administered with harmful intent. It is appropriate for the first encounter related to this specific poisoning event.

• Ensure documentation explicitly states "assault" as the intent for the poisoning, not accidental or self-harm.
• Verify the substance involved is a tricyclic antidepressant; do not use for other drug classes.
• Confirm this is the initial encounter for the poisoning; subsequent encounters will require a different seventh character.