Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum - though not all cancers or polyps bleed. Typically, occult blood is passed in such small amounts that it can be detected only through the chemicals used in a fecal occult blood test.
To do the test:
The cause of the blood might be a serious problem or something more minor, like hemorrhoids. Of course, there’s always the possibility that fecal occult blood is the sign of a polyp or cancer in the colon or rectum. However, fecal occult blood may not be accompanied by any other problem that you can see or feel, making detection of symptoms ...
Yes, bloody stool has a distinctive odor, it is called melena when there is blood in the stool. Melena usually represents blood from higher in the abdomen, like the stomach. By the time it makes it into the stool it mixes with stool and the stool becomes dark in color.
ICD-10-CM Code for Melena K92. 1.
ICD-10 code K56. 41 for Fecal impaction is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Diseases of the digestive system .
K56. 41 - Fecal impaction | ICD-10-CM.
The fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is a lab test used to check stool samples for hidden (occult) blood. Occult blood in the stool may indicate colon cancer or polyps in the colon or rectum — though not all cancers or polyps bleed.
9: Fever, unspecified.
INTRODUCTION. Visible stool burden is a common finding on plain film abdominal x-ray (AXR). The AXR is a relatively inexpensive, noninvasive imaging modality that poses a minimal radiation risk to patients and can serve as an objective measure of assessment of constipation among symptomatic patients (1).
ICD-10 | Fecal impaction (K56. 41)
Occult: Hidden. For example, occult blood in the stool is hidden from the eye but can be detected by chemical tests.
Occult blood means that you can't see it with the naked eye. And fecal means that it is in your stool. Blood in your stool means there is bleeding in the digestive tract.
A positive fecal occult blood test means that blood has been found in the stool. Your doctor will have to determine the source of the bleeding, either by doing a colonoscopy or by doing an examination to determine if the bleeding is coming from the stomach or small intestine.