S15.9 is the authoritative medical code for Injury of unspecified blood vessel at neck level. This classification is used in medical billing and clinical recording to specify the clinical criteria for injury of unspecified blood vessel at neck level (ICD-10-CM S15.9), ensuring healthcare documentation aligns with 2026 federal coding standards.
Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.
Official Registry Overview & Definition
Injury of unspecified blood vessel at neck level is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code S15.9. A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission. Includes: injuries of nape; injuries of supraclavicular region; injuries of throat. Excludes2 (not included here): burns and corrosions T20-T32; effects of foreign body in esophagus T18.1; effects of foreign body in larynx T17.3; effects of foreign body in pharynx T17.2; effects of foreign body in trachea T17.4; frostbite T33-T34; insect bite or sting, venomous T63.4. Code also: any associated open wound S11.-. 7th character: The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S15.
Official Tabular Instructional Notes
Sequencing, inclusion, and exclusion notes published for S15.9 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list.
Includes
Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.
- injuries of nape
- injuries of supraclavicular region
- injuries of throat
Excludes2 — Not Included Here
Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.
- burns and corrosions T20-T32
- effects of foreign body in esophagus T18.1
- effects of foreign body in larynx T17.3
- effects of foreign body in pharynx T17.2
- effects of foreign body in trachea T17.4
- frostbite T33-T34
- insect bite or sting, venomous T63.4
Code Also
Additional codes that may be required to fully describe the encounter.
- any associated open wound S11.-
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Clinical Guidance
Can S15.9 be billed directly?
No. S15.9 (Injury of unspecified blood vessel at neck level) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.
Does S15.9 require a 7th character?
Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S15.
Can S15.9 be reported alongside related conditions?
Per Excludes2 instructions, S15.9 and the following may both be reported when both are present: burns and corrosions (T20-T32); effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1); effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3); effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2).
Codes in This Family (40)
Official ICD-10-CM classifications in the same code family as S15.9, with their registry titles.
- S15 — Injury of blood vessels at neck level
- S15.0 — Injury of carotid artery of neck
- S15.00 — Unspecified injury of carotid artery
- S15.001 — Unspecified injury of right carotid artery
- S15.001A — Unspecified injury of right carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.001D — Unspecified injury of right carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.001S — Unspecified injury of right carotid artery, sequela
- S15.002 — Unspecified injury of left carotid artery
- S15.002A — Unspecified injury of left carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.002D — Unspecified injury of left carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.002S — Unspecified injury of left carotid artery, sequela
- S15.009 — Unspecified injury of unspecified carotid artery
- S15.009A — Unspecified injury of unspecified carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.009D — Unspecified injury of unspecified carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.009S — Unspecified injury of unspecified carotid artery, sequela
- S15.01 — Minor laceration of carotid artery
- S15.011 — Minor laceration of right carotid artery
- S15.011A — Minor laceration of right carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.011D — Minor laceration of right carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.011S — Minor laceration of right carotid artery, sequela
- S15.012 — Minor laceration of left carotid artery
- S15.012A — Minor laceration of left carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.012D — Minor laceration of left carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.012S — Minor laceration of left carotid artery, sequela
- S15.019 — Minor laceration of unspecified carotid artery
- S15.019A — Minor laceration of unspecified carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.019D — Minor laceration of unspecified carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.019S — Minor laceration of unspecified carotid artery, sequela
- S15.02 — Major laceration of carotid artery
- S15.021 — Major laceration of right carotid artery
- S15.021A — Major laceration of right carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.021D — Major laceration of right carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.021S — Major laceration of right carotid artery, sequela
- S15.022 — Major laceration of left carotid artery
- S15.022A — Major laceration of left carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.022D — Major laceration of left carotid artery, subsequent encounter
- S15.022S — Major laceration of left carotid artery, sequela
- S15.029 — Major laceration of unspecified carotid artery
- S15.029A — Major laceration of unspecified carotid artery, initial encounter
- S15.029D — Major laceration of unspecified carotid artery, subsequent encounter
Indexed Clinical Terms (1)
Clinical term phrases from the official ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries that map to this code.
- Injury, blood vessel NEC, neck
Related Codes & Numerical Sequence (Crawl Map)
Search engines and indexers are advised to traverse adjacent medical codes in this sub-chapter range to find correlated diagnoses or therapeutic procedures:
ICD Code S13.9
Sprain of joints and ligaments of unspecified parts of neck
ICD Code S16.9
Unspecified injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level