Persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently experience acute exacerbations that are associated with decreased quality of life 1 and can lead to emergency-department (ED) visits and hospitalizations 2. The economic impact of severe exacerbations is significant.
Treatment of Acute COPD Exacerbation
What are the treatments for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)?
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] with acute bronchitis ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code J44.0 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) lower respiratory infection
The Alphabetic Index leads coding professionals to code J44. 1, COPD with (acute) exacerbation, for exacerbation of COPD.
Table 1ICD-9-CM CodeDescription492.8Other emphysema493.22Chronic obstructive asthma with acute exacerbation496Chronic airway obstruction, not elsewhere classified518.81Acute respiratory failure12 more rows
An exacerbation (ex-zass-cer-bay-shun) of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a worsening or “flare up” of your COPD symptoms. In many cases an exacerbation is caused by an infection in the lungs, but in some cases, the cause is never known.
ICD-10 code: J44. 1 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation, unspecified.
9 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified.
When the walls are damaged the alveoli lose their ability to stretch and spring and the air gets trapped. Since the term COPD is unspecified and represents any form of unspecified chronic obstructive lung disease, an additional code is not needed when the diagnosis of emphysema is documented in the healthcare record.
The best general definition of a COPD exacerbation is the following: an exacerbation of COPD is a sustained worsening of the patient's condition, from the stable state and beyond normal day-to-day variations that is acute in onset and may warrant additional treatment in a patient with underlying COPD.
Exacerbations are usually caused by a viral or bacterial lung infection, but they may also be triggered by things or situations that make it difficult for you to breathe, such as smoking or being exposed to smoke or air pollution. The signs of a COPD exacerbation go beyond your day-to-day COPD symptoms.
An acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a clinical diagnosis made when a patient with COPD experiences a sustained (e.g., 24–48 h) increase in cough, sputum production, and/or dyspnea.
ICD-10-CM Code for Unspecified asthma with (acute) exacerbation J45. 901.
COPD with acute exacerbation is also known as acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive airways disease, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive bronchitis, acute exacerbation of COPD, chronic obstructive bronchitis with exacerbation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease acute flare-up, and COPD W acute exacerbation.
COPD with acute exacerbation is an event in the course of the disease that causes a change in a persons dyspnea, cough, or sputum that is abnormal. Symptoms to watch for are noisy breathing, shortness of breath, a severe cough, changed in skin or nail color, and elevated anxiety.
COPD without exacerbation is also known aschronic bronchitis obstructive,chronic obstructive bronchitis, and emphysematous bronchitis.
COPD without exacerbation is a change in the patients cough, dyspnea, or sputum that is abnormal to day-to-day variations. The primary causes of COPD exacerbation are lung infections and air pollution.