S21.441 vs S21.449
S21.441 (Puncture wound with foreign body of right back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity) compared with S21.449 (Puncture wound with foreign body of unspecified back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity), from the official CMS tabular data. S21.441 and S21.449 code the same condition on opposite sides.
Can these codes be reported together?
Same condition, opposite side. S21.441 and S21.449 name the same condition on opposite sides of the body.
Same category and title, differing only in which side is affected — the documentation decides which one applies, and a bilateral code is reported only where the code set provides one.
Side by side
| S21.441Puncture wound with foreign body of right back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity | S21.449Puncture wound with foreign body of unspecified back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header | Non-billable header |
| Classification | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) |
| Definition | Puncture wound with foreign body of right back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S21.441). | Puncture wound with foreign body of unspecified back wall of thorax with penetration into thoracic cavity is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S21.449). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S21 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S21 |
| Includes | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area | injuries of breast injuries of chest (wall) injuries of interscapular area |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources