Excludes1 pair

O89- vs T88.2-

O89 and T88.2 are not coded together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note — the two conditions are not expected to occur together, so exactly one of them is normally correct for a given encounter. The Official Guidelines carve out one exception: if the two conditions are clearly unrelated to each other, both may be reported.

The official note, declared on T88.2
puerperium (O89.-)
O89

Complications of anesthesia during the puerperium

Not billable
Chapter 15
Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium
Section
O85-O92
Use when the record says
  • maternal complications arising from the administration of a general, regional or local anesthetic, analgesic or other sedation during the puerperium
T88.2

Shock due to anesthesia

Not billable
Chapter 19
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Section
T80-T88
Indexed under
  • Anesthesia, anesthetic › shock (due to)
  • Collapse › lung › pressure due to anesthesia or other sedation (general) (local)
  • Complication › anesthesia, anesthetic › shock
  • Shock › anesthetic › correct substance properly administered

These two codes sit in different chapters of the Tabular List, which is usually the clearest signal that they describe different underlying processes rather than different degrees of the same one.

Excludes1 is not always absolute: where two conditions covered by the note are genuinely unrelated, CMS guidance permits reporting both. Document the reasoning rather than assuming it. More on Excludes1 vs Excludes2 · FY2027