ICDcodes.org
FY2027

S06 vs S09.0

S06 and S09.0 can never be reported together. ICD-10-CM declares them mutually exclusive with an Excludes1 note, meaning the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient — so exactly one of them is correct for any given encounter.

The official note, declared on S09.0
injury of cerebral blood vessels (S06.-)
S06

Intracranial injury

Not billable
Chapter 19
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Section
S00-S09
Use when the record says
  • traumatic brain injury
S09.0

Injury of blood vessels of head, not elsewhere classified

Not billable
Chapter 19
Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
Section
S00-S09
Indexed under
  • Injury › blood vessel NEC › head
  • Injury › blood vessel NEC › head › multiple

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