A 22-year-old male was chopping wood with his friends and accidently slashed his right lower leg with the axe. Upon assessment at the emergency room, it was determined that he had sliced through all layers of skin and the wound was down to muscle, but no arteries were involved. He required layered sutured closure including the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue, and superficial fascia as well as the epidermis and dermis. His wound was measured at approximately 25 cm. How would you code this procedure?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

12036 is correct because this wound is considered an intermediate repair due to the multiple layer closure. Also, the wound size was 25 cm on the lower leg.
Code 12035 is incorrect because, although it is the correct location, the size is too small. Codes 12045 and 12046 are incorrect because the location is not correct.

A 22-Year-Old Male Was Chopping Wood with His Friends and Accidently