K55.029 ICD-10-CM Code: Acute infarction of small intestine, extent unspecified
Compare with another codeCheck this code on a claim
Billing Status: YES. This is a valid, specific, and billable ICD-10-CM reference.
Coding at a Glance
- Tabular directives
- 1 Excludes1 · 1 Excludes2
- Risk adjustment
- CMS-HCC V22 category 107
Billable · FY2027A valid, specific ICD-10-CM code, reportable for dates of service in FY2027.
What you need to know
Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too; the Instructions section marks which is which.
- Excludes1Never report with this code
- necrotizing enterocolitis of newborn (P77.-)
- Excludes2Not included here; may be reported together
- angioectasia (angiodysplasia) duodenum (K31.81-)
Most relevant related codes MedCoder-derived
Read off the official notes above and this code’s own position in the tabular list. Which to report is a documentation question; Compare shows the two side by side.
Inpatient Payment Groups (MS-DRG)
Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.
MS-DRGs this diagnosis helps define, as principal or secondary, per the CMS ICD-10-CM/PCS MS-DRG Definitions Manual v44, Appendix B.
- MS-DRG 393 — OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 06)
- MS-DRG 394 — OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 06)
- MS-DRG 395 — OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 06)
- MS-DRG 791 — PREMATURITY WITH MAJOR PROBLEMS (MDC 15)
- MS-DRG 793 — FULL TERM NEONATE WITH MAJOR PROBLEMS (MDC 15)
A diagnosis appearing in a group's logic does not by itself determine the DRG assigned to a stay; the grouper uses the full claim.
Coding instructions
Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for K55.029 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.
Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2027Effective: October 1, 2026
Trace:FY2027 changesChange historyRelease, file and checksum
Notes without a marker are published on K55.029 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.
Excludes1 — Not Coded Here
Conditions generally not reported together with this code (Excludes1) -- an error unless the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).
- necrotizing enterocolitis of newborn (P77.-) Compare K55.029 vs P77 →
Source: inherited from K55
Excludes2 — Not Included Here
Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.
- angioectasia (angiodysplasia) duodenum (K31.81-) Compare K55.029 vs K31.81 →
Source: inherited from K55
Coder workflow for K55.029
MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record
Before you code K55.029
- Unspecified does not mean incorrect. When the record gives no greater specificity, K55.029 may be the appropriate code. Check the record for detail that supports a more specific sibling — in this subcategory the siblings differ by acute versus chronic. An unspecified code is for records that do not provide the detail a more specific code needs; a query, not an assumption, is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).
See the relationships section · Guide: Other vs unspecified (NEC vs NOS) →
- Check the Excludes1 note: if the documentation supports a condition named there, do not simply proceed with K55.029. Excludes1 conditions are not reported together with this code unless the record shows they are unrelated (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
Choose the right path
- Does the record document the detail a more specific sibling code needs?
Yes → Review the specific siblings in this subcategory.
No → Continue — K55.029 is appropriate when the documentation goes no further. - Does the documentation support a condition named in K55.029’s Excludes1 note?
Yes → Do not simply proceed: review the excluded code. Both are reported only when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated.
No → Continue.ReviewP77
Consider K55.029. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.
Documentation check
- The provider’s diagnostic statement
- Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
- Acuity
- Acute or chronic as documented; when both are documented and separate codes exist, both are reported with the acute code first (Guidelines I.B.8).
- Any detail beyond this code’s title
- What the record states that a more specific sibling code would capture — or its absence, which itself supports the unspecified code.
Official instructions as workflow
Excludes1 — check before selecting K55.029(1 note)
Coding workflow: If the documentation supports a condition named in this note, do not simply proceed with K55.029: the two are not reported together. The one exception is when the record shows the two conditions are unrelated to each other.
CompareP77
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.a
Excludes2 — not part of K55.029(1 note)
Coding workflow: The conditions named in this note are not included in K55.029. When the record documents both, both may be reported; the note is a boundary, not a prohibition.
CompareK31.81
See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.12.b
Coding decision scenarios
Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases
Documentation: The provider documents the condition in the terms of this code’s title and records no further detail.
Coding question: Is a more specific sibling code supportable?
Path: Review the specific siblings in this subcategory and what each requires the record to state.
Reason: A more specific code needs documentation of the distinguishing element; without it the unspecified code is appropriate, and a provider query is the route to specificity (Guidelines I.A.9.b, I.B.18).
Documentation: Both the condition K55.029 describes and a condition named in its Excludes1 note are documented for the same encounter.
Coding question: Can both codes be reported?
Path: Review the Excludes1 note and the excluded code, and look for a provider statement on whether the two conditions are related.
Reason: Excludes1 means the two are not coded together; the exception is when the record shows the conditions are unrelated to each other (Guidelines I.A.12.a).
ReviewP77
Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.
Coding context
Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.
Code Overview
MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.
Official Coding Guidelines
No excerpt in the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines names this code specifically. Its chapter carries only this chapter-wide note:
Chapter 11: Diseases of the Digestive System (K00-K95)
Reserved for future guideline expansion
Verify Before Coding
- MCC as a secondary diagnosis (FY2027). Can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier.
From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.
Relationships & Classification
MedCoder-derived relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets
Other codes that name K55.029 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.
Referenced by 2 Excludes2 notes: I74 — Arterial embolism and thrombosis (via K55.0.-), I82 — Other venous embolism and thrombosis (via K55.0.-).
These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.
MS-DRG Grouper Relationships (FY2027)
Potential MS-DRG participation — not a DRG assignment.
FY2027 MS-DRG: MCC — Major Complication or Comorbidity. Reported as a secondary diagnosis, this code raises the stay's MS-DRG severity tier — except when the principal diagnosis is one of 23 clinically related codes on its CMS exclusion list.
Named in the grouper logic of 5 MS-DRGs: DRG 393 (MDC 06), DRG 394 (MDC 06), DRG 395 (MDC 06), DRG 791 (MDC 15), DRG 793 (MDC 15).
From the CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendices B and C). Actual DRG assignment depends on the complete claim.
Clinical classification (AHRQ CCSR):DIG025 — Other specified and unspecified gastrointestinal disorders (default); CIR026 — Peripheral and visceral vascular disease.
Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR) for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Related Codes
Same clinical process (MS-DRG)
Acts as MCC — raises the severity of other admissions. CMS groups these diagnoses into one MS-DRG principal-diagnosis exclusion process — a CC/MCC on this list never raises severity when the principal diagnosis is also on it.
K55.011 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, K55.012 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, K55.019 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, extent unspecified, K55.021 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of small intestine, K55.022 — Diffuse acute infarction of small intestine, K55.031 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, K55.032 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, K55.039 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, extent unspecified, K55.041 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of large intestine, K55.042 — Diffuse acute infarction of large intestine, K55.049 — Acute infarction of large intestine, extent unspecified, K55.051 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of intestine, part unspecified, K55.052 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of intestine, part unspecified, K55.059 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of intestine, part and extent unspecified, K55.061 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of intestine, part unspecified, K55.062 — Diffuse acute infarction of intestine, part unspecified, K55.069 — Acute infarction of intestine, part and extent unspecified, K55.1 — Chronic vascular disorders of intestine, K55.30 — Necrotizing enterocolitis, unspecified, K55.31 — Stage 1 necrotizing enterocolitis, +2 more
Same clinical category (CCSR)
AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software groups these diagnoses under the same clinical categories (Other specified and unspecified gastrointestinal disorders, Peripheral and visceral vascular disease).
I73.1 — Thromboangiitis obliterans [Buerger's disease], I73.81 — Erythromelalgia, I73.89 — Other specified peripheral vascular diseases, I73.9 — Peripheral vascular disease, unspecified, K55.0 — Acute vascular disorders of intestine, K55.011 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, K55.012 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, K55.019 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, extent unspecified, K55.021 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of small intestine, K55.022 — Diffuse acute infarction of small intestine, K55.031 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, K55.032 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, K55.039 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, extent unspecified, K55.041 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of large intestine, K55.042 — Diffuse acute infarction of large intestine, K55.049 — Acute infarction of large intestine, extent unspecified, K55.051 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of intestine, part unspecified, K55.052 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of intestine, part unspecified, K55.059 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of intestine, part and extent unspecified, K55.061 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of intestine, part unspecified, +318 more
Same Index main term, other category
The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main terms “Thrombosis, thrombotic”, “Infarct, infarction”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.
I82.C2 — Chronic embolism and thrombosis of internal jugular vein (vein, internal jugular, chronic), I89.8 — Other specified noninfective disorders of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes (lymph node), I97.190 — Other postprocedural cardiac functional disturbances following cardiac surgery (myocardium, myocardial, postprocedural, following cardiac surgery), I97.191 — Other postprocedural cardiac functional disturbances following other surgery (myocardium, myocardial, postprocedural, following other surgery), I97.790 — Other intraoperative cardiac functional disturbances during cardiac surgery (myocardium, myocardial, intraoperative, during cardiac surgery), I97.791 — Other intraoperative cardiac functional disturbances during other surgery (myocardium, myocardial, intraoperative, during other surgery), I97.810 — Intraoperative cerebrovascular infarction during cardiac surgery (cerebral, intraoperative, during cardiac surgery), I97.811 — Intraoperative cerebrovascular infarction during other surgery (cerebral, intraoperative, during other surgery), I97.820 — Postprocedural cerebrovascular infarction following cardiac surgery (cerebral, postprocedural, following cardiac surgery), I97.821 — Postprocedural cerebrovascular infarction following other surgery (cerebral, postprocedural, following other surgery), K64.5 — Perianal venous thrombosis (anal), K76.3 — Infarction of liver (liver), K82.8 — Other specified diseases of gallbladder (gallbladder), K86.89 — Other specified diseases of pancreas (pancreas), M62.20 — Nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle, unspecified site (muscle), M62.21 — Nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle, shoulder (muscle, shoulder region), M62.22 — Nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle, upper arm (muscle, upper arm), M62.23 — Nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle, forearm (muscle, forearm), M62.24 — Nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle, hand (muscle, hand), M62.25 — Nontraumatic ischemic infarction of muscle, thigh (muscle, thigh), +134 more
Lab tests where this diagnosis supports Medicare coverage (NCD)
Medicare's National Coverage Determination (NCD) program lists this diagnosis as medical justification for these lab tests.
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test, Iron Panel, Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) Test, Prothrombin Time Test and INR (PT/INR)
Contextual Map
Every relationship of K55.029 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.
Run K55.029 with these 2 related codes in Claim Check
Hierarchy
- K00-K95 — Chapter 11: Diseases of the Digestive System (K00-K95) (K00-K95)[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55-K64 — Other diseases of intestines[Hierarchy]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
Referenced by Excludes2 notes
- I74 — Arterial embolism and thrombosis[Excludes2](via K55.0.-): “mesenteric embolism and thrombosis (K55.0-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
- I82 — Other venous embolism and thrombosis[Excludes2](via K55.0.-): “mesenteric (K55.0-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
Clinical classification (CCSR)
- DIG025 — Other specified and unspecified gastrointestinal disorders[CCSR]— AHRQ CCSR for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses (HCUP)
- CIR026 — Peripheral and visceral vascular disease[CCSR]— AHRQ CCSR for ICD-10-CM Diagnoses (HCUP)
MS-DRG Grouper
- MCC — Major Complication or Comorbidity [MS-DRG severity]: “As a secondary diagnosis this code can raise the stay's MS-DRG severity tier (MCC).”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix C) · FY2027
- DRG 393 — OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH MCC (MDC 06)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
- DRG 394 — OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH CC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITH CC (MDC 06)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
- DRG 395 — OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC[MS-DRG]: “OTHER DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DIAGNOSES WITHOUT CC/MCC (MDC 06)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
- DRG 791 — PREMATURITY WITH MAJOR PROBLEMS[MS-DRG]: “PREMATURITY WITH MAJOR PROBLEMS (MDC 15)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
- DRG 793 — FULL TERM NEONATE WITH MAJOR PROBLEMS[MS-DRG]: “FULL TERM NEONATE WITH MAJOR PROBLEMS (MDC 15)”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (Appendix B) · FY2027
MDC crossing
- MDC 06 — Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive System[MDC crossing]: “Diseases and Disorders of the Digestive System — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs. 5,748 same-MDC procedures group here; browse them on the MDC page.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027
- MDC 15 — Newborns and Other Neonates with Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period[MDC crossing]: “Newborns and Other Neonates with Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period — the grouper's crossing between diagnoses and procedures: a principal diagnosis sets the MDC, and same-MDC procedures move the stay to its surgical DRGs.”— CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual · FY2027
Index entries
- Infarct, infarction, intestine (acute) (agnogenic) (embolic) (hemorrhagic) (nonocclusive) (nonthrombotic) (occlusive) (thrombotic) (with gangrene), small[Index term]— CMS ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries · icd10cm-fy2027
Nearest codes (36)
- K55 — Vascular disorders of intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.0 — Acute vascular disorders of intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.01 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.011 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.012 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.019 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, extent unspecified[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.02 — Acute infarction of small intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- K55.021 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of small intestine[Sibling]— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular structure · icd10cm-fy2027
- and 28 more
Change history
- FY2017 — Added to the code set[Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2017
Reference
Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.
Indexed Clinical Terms (1)
Official source data — entries quoted as published, in the Index’s own lookup phrasing
Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code. These are alphabetic-index entries shown as the Index writes them — lookup phrasing, not necessarily the wording of a final diagnosis.
Sources for this page
Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.
- Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
- CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Coding guidelines Official source data
- ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2027), quoted by section Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Claim edits Official source data
- CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Inpatient payment groups Official source data
- CMS MS-DRG Definitions Manual (incl. Appendix B diagnosis index, Appendix C CC/MCC list, Appendix E procedure index) and IPPS Final Rule tables — v44 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
- CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
- Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived relationship
- Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
- Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder editorial explanation
- Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.
Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources
Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules
Cite this page
Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.
MedCoder.ai. "K55.029 — Acute infarction of small intestine, extent unspecified." ICD-10-CM FY2027. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/k55.029-acute-infarction-of-small-intestine-extent-unspecified
Change history
- FY2017 — October 1, 2016Added to the code setAcute infarction of small intestine, extent unspecifiedFY2017 changes
Nearest Codes in This Family
Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to K55.029 in its code family, with their registry titles.
- K55.012 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine
- K55.019 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of small intestine, extent unspecified
- K55.02 — Acute infarction of small intestine
- K55.021 — Focal (segmental) acute infarction of small intestine
- K55.022 — Diffuse acute infarction of small intestine
- K55.03 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine
- K55.031 — Focal (segmental) acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine
- K55.032 — Diffuse acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine
- K55.039 — Acute (reversible) ischemia of large intestine, extent unspecified
- K55.04 — Acute infarction of large intestine