Apical Aortic Conduit

The cardiovascular surgeons at our facility are performing a procedure in which they create an apical aortic conduit. The procedure is performed for patients with aortic valve stenosis with concomitant aortic atherosclerosis. The patient is put on heart lung bypass. The conduit consists of a hemashield graft sewn to a stentless root containing a tissue valve. The distal end of the conduit is anastomosed to the descending thoracic aorta. The proximal end of the conduit is anastomosed to the left ventricular apex, after a core is removed with an apical cutter. The patient’s stenotic native aortic valve is left in-situ. How should this procedure be coded? A similar question was addressed in Coding Clinic First Quarter 1996, page 11. However, that scenario did not involve the conduit component. ...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AHA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This premium coding article reviews a specialized cardiovascular surgical procedure and the related coding question it raises. It is aimed at coders and reimbursement professionals who work with cardiac surgery documentation, operative reports, and inpatient procedure coding. The discussion focuses on the procedure context, the source reference to prior Coding Clinic guidance, and the code selection issue at a broad level.

Why This Topic Matters

Accurate identification of uncommon cardiovascular procedures is important for correct inpatient procedure reporting and consistent code assignment.

What You Will Learn

  • What type of cardiovascular procedure is being discussed
  • Why the documentation context matters for inpatient procedure coding
  • How the article relates the case to prior Coding Clinic guidance
  • What coding topic is raised by the presence of a conduit component

Who Should Read This

  • Inpatient medical coders
  • Cardiovascular surgery coders
  • Coding auditors
  • Revenue cycle professionals

Codes Discussed

  • ICD-9-CM: 35.93

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