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M79.5 vs T17.310S

M79.5 (Residual foreign body in soft tissue) compared with T17.310S (Gastric contents in larynx causing asphyxiation, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because T17.310S lists M79.5 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and chapter.M79.5 is “Residual foreign body in soft tissue”; T17.310S is “Gastric contents in larynx causing asphyxiation, sequela”. M79.5 sits in M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99); T17.310S in S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88).

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.T17.310S lists M79.5 under Excludes2: “residual foreign body in soft tissue (M79.5)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code. M79.5 carries 4 Excludes1 notes covering other codes; the side-by-side table quotes them.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.T17.310S’s tabular entry: “residual foreign body in soft tissue (M79.5)”. The note covers M79.5.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Is one a parent or header code?

No.Both are billable codes, and neither contains the other.

Registry fact

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

T17.310S
Gastric contents in larynx causing asphyxiation, sequela
↔
M79.5
Residual foreign body in soft tissue

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.T17.310S carries an Excludes2 note covering M79.5: “residual foreign body in soft tissue (M79.5)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
M79.5

Residual foreign body in soft tissue

T17.310S

Gastric contents in larynx causing asphyxiation, sequela

StatusSame for both
Billable
Excludes1Differs
M79.5
  • foreign body granuloma of skin and subcutaneous tissue (L92.3)
  • foreign body granuloma of soft tissue (M60.2-)
  • psychogenic rheumatism (F45.8)
  • soft tissue pain, psychogenic (F45.41)
T17.310S

None at this code

Excludes2Differs
M79.5

None at this code

T17.310S
  • foreign body accidentally left in operation wound (T81.5-)
  • foreign body in penetrating wound - See open wound by body region
  • residual foreign body in soft tissue (M79.5)
  • splinter, without open wound - See superficial injury by body region
Use additional codeDiffers
M79.5

None at this code

T17.310S
  • code, if known, for foreign body entering into or through a natural orifice (W44.-)
CategoryDiffers
M79.5

M79 Other and unspecified soft tissue disorders, not elsewhere classified

T17.310S

T17 Foreign body in respiratory tract

ChapterDiffers
M79.5

M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)

T17.310S

S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)

7th characterDiffers
M79.5

None at this code

T17.310S
  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T17

No Code first, Code also and Includes note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, notes every code shares are dimmed.

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Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources