Root Operation, Discontinued or Incomplete Procedures: ICD-10-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting

 Effective October 1, 2020

B. Medical and Surgical Section Guidelines (section 0)

B3. Root Operation

Discontinued or incomplete procedures

B3.3

If the intended procedure is discontinued or otherwise not completed, code the procedure to the root operation performed. If a procedure is discontinued before any other root operation is performed, code the root operation Inspection of the body part or anatomical region inspected.  

Example: A planned aortic valve replacement procedure is discontinued after the initial thoracotomy and before any incision is made in the heart muscle, when the patient becomes hemodynamically unstable. This procedure is coded as an open Inspection of the mediastinum.