Patient undergoes construction of apical aortic conduit with an insertion of a single-ventricle ventricular assist device.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The procedure described involves the construction of an apical aortic conduit (typically coded as 33975) with the insertion of a ventricular assist device (VAD). The specific type of VAD is not provided, but the insertion of a single-ventricle VAD would be included in the base code for 33975. Therefore, code 33977 (insertion of a VAD in conjunction with another cardiac procedure) would not be necessary. Code 33400 (construction of conduit) is not specific enough to capture the full extent of the procedure, as it does not include the insertion of the VAD. Therefore, the best choice would be 33975.

Patient Undergoes Construction of Apical Aortic Conduit with an Insertion