T79.0 — Air embolism (traumatic)

Not billable

Is T79.0 billable?

No — T79.0 is a non-billable header code. T79.0 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 3 billable codes beneath T79.0.

Billable codes under this header

T79.0 at a glance

Code	T79.0
Description	Air embolism (traumatic)
Billable	No — header code
Code set	ICD-10-CM FY2027
Valid for encounters	October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027

How is T79.0 listed in the Alphabetic Index?

These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to T79.0. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.

Air › embolism
Embolism › air (multiple) (paradoxical)
Air › embolism › traumatic

Excludes1 — never code together

The conditions below can never be reported together with T79.0 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.

air embolism complicating abortion or ectopic or molar pregnancy (O00-O07, O08.2)
air embolism complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O88.0)
air embolism following infusion, transfusion, and therapeutic injection (T80.0)
air embolism following procedure NEC (T81.7-)

Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 19

Report an additional code alongside T79.0 to fully describe the condition. T79.0 is sequenced first.

code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 19

The conditions below are not part of T79.0, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, T79.0 and the excluded code may both be reported.

birth trauma (P10-P15)
obstetric trauma (O70-O71)

Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from T79

The conditions below are not part of T79.0, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, T79.0 and the excluded code may both be reported.

acute respiratory distress syndrome (J80)
complications occurring during or following medical procedures (T80-T88)
complications of surgical and medical care NEC (T80-T88)
newborn respiratory distress syndrome (P22.0)

What codes fall under T79.0? (3)

How long has T79.0 existed?

T79.0 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.

Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.

Which codes are confused with T79.0?

ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with T79.0 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.

Which conditions are coded to T79.0?

ICD-10 code for Embolism