Skip to main content

S25.3 vs S45.91

S25.3 (Injury of innominate or subclavian vein) compared with S45.91 (Laceration of unspecified blood vessel at shoulder and upper arm level), from the official CMS tabular data.

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because S45.91 lists S25.3 under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named.S25.3 is “Injury of innominate or subclavian vein”; S45.91 is “Laceration of unspecified blood vessel at shoulder and upper arm level”.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.S45.91 lists S25.3 under Excludes2: “injury of subclavian vein (S25.3)”. 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.

Official rule

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.S45.91’s tabular entry: “injury of subclavian vein (S25.3)”. The note covers S25.3.

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?

Both are headers.Both are non-billable headers, 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

S45.91
Laceration of unspecified blood vessel at shoulder and upper arm level
↔
S25.3
Injury of innominate or subclavian vein

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.S45.91 carries an Excludes2 note covering S25.3: “injury of subclavian vein (S25.3)”

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 FY2026

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

S25.3Injury of innominate or subclavian veinS45.91Laceration of unspecified blood vessel at shoulder and upper arm level
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: S25.301A, S25.301D, S25.301S, S25.302A, S25.302D

Non-billable header

Report instead: S45.911A, S45.911D, S45.911S, S45.912A, S45.912D

ClassificationS00-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)
DefinitionInjury of innominate or subclavian vein is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S25.3).Laceration of unspecified blood vessel at shoulder and upper arm level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S45.91).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S25The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S45
Includes
injuries of breast
injuries of chest (wall)
injuries of interscapular area
injuries of axilla
injuries of scapular region
Excludes2
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
effects of foreign body in bronchus (T17.5)
effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1)
effects of foreign body in lung (T17.8)
effects of foreign body in trachea (T17.4)
frostbite (T33-T34)
injuries of axilla
injuries of clavicle
injuries of scapular region
injuries of shoulder
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
injury of subclavian artery (S25.1)
injury of subclavian vein (S25.3)
burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
frostbite (T33-T34)
injuries of elbow (S50-S59)
insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
Code also
any associated open wound (S21.-)
any associated open wound (S41.-)

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.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources