Infiltration is the unintentional administration of a non-vesicant medication into surrounding cell tissue. This is a relatively common and generally minor occurrence. Infiltration does not usually cause harm, but the medicine or solution may cause redness, swelling, and discomfort around the site.
Again, the essential difference between infiltration and extravasation is the type of medicine or fluid that is leaked. Extravasation is much more severe than infiltration due to vesicant agents within an IV solution .
Extravasation refers to the unintentional administration of a vesicant medication into the surrounding tissue. These are active chemical substances that can cause blistering, and in extreme cases, necrosis. It is not uncommon for a patient to receive a local injection of a reversal agent if extravasation occurs. If left untreated, the patient may have to have debridement or skin grafting, or he or she could suffer disfigurement, loss of function, and even amputation.
It is important for coders and all healthcare professionals to know the difference, and why it matters. Intravenous therapy (IV) is quite common, administered by healthcare professionals on a very regular basis. As common as it may be, however, it's linked to an unusually high risk of potential harm to the patient.
It is important to note that infiltration and extravasation can exist at the same time. Doctors often use infiltration and extravasation interchangeably.
The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM T81.7 became effective on October 1, 2021.
Use secondary code (s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code.
T81.7 should not be used for reimbursement purposes as there are multiple codes below it that contain a greater level of detail. Short description: Vascular complications following a procedure, NEC. The 2021 edition of ICD-10-CM T81.7 became effective on October 1, 2020.
Extravasation of other vesicant agent, initial encounter 1 T80.818A is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. 2 The 2021 edition of ICD-10-CM T80.818A became effective on October 1, 2020. 3 This is the American ICD-10-CM version of T80.818A - other international versions of ICD-10 T80.818A may differ.
The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM T80.818A became effective on October 1, 2021.
Use secondary code (s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code. code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable ( Z18.-)