Billable Medical Code for Acute Respiratory Failure
Diagnosis Code for Reimbursement Claim: ICD-9-CM 518.81
Code will be replaced by October 2015 and relabeled as ICD-10-CM 518.81.
The Short Description Is: Acute respiratry failure.
Known As
Respiratory failure is also known as acute hypercapnic respiratory failure, acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to obstructive sleep apnea, acute hypercarbic respiratory failure secondary to obstuctive sleep apnea, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, acute respiratory failure from obstuctive sleep apnea, alveolar hypoventilation, hypercapnic respiratory failure, hypoxemic respiratory failure, postprocedural respiratory failure,and respiratory failure. This excludes acute and chronic respiratory failure (518.84), acute respiratory distress (518.82), acute respiratory failure following trauma and surgery (518.51), chronic respiratory failure (518.83), respiratory arrest (799.1), and respiratory failure, newborn (770.84). This applies to respiratory failure NOS.
Respiratory Failure Definition and Symptoms
Respiratory failure is when there is an inadequate gas exchange from the respiratory system, which causes oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to go out of their normal ranges. Symptoms include being very sleepy, arrhythmias, sepsis, and a bluish color of the skin or lips.