S35.222A (Major laceration of superior mesenteric artery, initial encounter) compared with S35.222S (Major laceration of superior mesenteric artery, sequela), from the official CMS tabular data. S35.222A and S35.222S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment.
Same underlying diagnosis, different encounter phase.
The 7th character records the phase of care for the encounter being coded, so a single encounter takes one of these characters, not several. Review whether both phases belong on the same episode of care.
Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a
Same injury, other encounter phase. S35.222A and S35.222S code the same injury at a different phase of treatment, set by the 7th character.
The 7th character records the type of care given at the encounter being coded (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.C.19.a), so one encounter takes one of these, not both.
| S35.222AMajor laceration of superior mesenteric artery, initial encounter | S35.222SMajor laceration of superior mesenteric artery, sequela | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Billable | Billable |
| 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 | Major laceration of superior mesenteric artery, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S35.222A). | Major laceration of superior mesenteric artery, sequela is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (S35.222S). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S35 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S35 |
| Includes | injuries to the abdominal wall injuries to the anus injuries to the buttock injuries to the external genitalia | injuries to the abdominal wall injuries to the anus injuries to the buttock injuries to the external genitalia |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources