T59 vs T71.9XXA
T59 (Toxic effect of other gases, fumes and vapors) compared with T71.9XXA (Asphyxiation due to unspecified cause, initial 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. T71.9XXA carries an Excludes1 note covering T59: “asphyxia from other gases, fumes and vapors (T59.-)”
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
| T59Toxic effect of other gases, fumes and vapors | T71.9XXAAsphyxiation due to unspecified cause, initial encounter | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: T59.0X1A, T59.0X1D, T59.0X1S, T59.0X2A, T59.0X2D | 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 | Toxic effect of other gases, fumes and vapors is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (T59). | Asphyxiation due to unspecified cause, initial encounter is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (T71.9A). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T59 | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T71 |
| Includes | aerosol propellants | 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(s): for all associated manifestations of toxic effect, such as: respiratory conditions due to external agents (J60-J70) personal history of foreign body fully removed (Z87.821) | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources