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T17 vs T71.9XXD

T17 (Foreign body in respiratory tract) compared with T71.9XXD (Asphyxiation due to unspecified cause, subsequent encounter), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. T71.9XXD carries an Excludes1 note covering T17: “asphyxia from inhalation of food or foreign body (T17.-)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

T17Foreign body in respiratory tractT71.9XXDAsphyxiation due to unspecified cause, subsequent encounter
Billing statusNon-billable header

Report instead: T17.0XXA, T17.0XXD, T17.0XXS, T17.1XXA, T17.1XXD

Billable
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)
DefinitionForeign body in respiratory tract is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T17).Asphyxiation due to unspecified cause, subsequent encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.9D).
7th characterThe appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T17The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71
Includes
Suffocation (by strangulation) due to unspecified cause
Suffocation NOS
Systemic oxygen deficiency due to low oxygen content in ambient air due to unspecified cause
Systemic oxygen deficiency due to mechanical threat to breathing due to unspecified cause
Use additional code
code, if known, for foreign body entering into or through a natural orifice (W44.-)

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources