T81.321 — Disruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia
Is T81.321 billable?
No — T81.321 is a non-billable header code. T81.321 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 T81.321.
Billable codes under this header
- T81.321ADisruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia, initial encounter
- T81.321DDisruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia, subsequent encounter
- T81.321SDisruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia, sequela
T81.321 at a glance
| Code | T81.321 |
|---|---|
| Description | Disruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
How is T81.321 listed in the Alphabetic Index?
These are the routes through the Alphabetic Index that lead to T81.321. They show the wording a clinician may have documented, which often differs from the Tabular description.
- Burst stitches or sutures › internal operation wound › abdominal wall muscle or fascia (complication of surgery)
- Dehiscence › closure of › abdominal wall muscle or fascia (of)
- Disruption › closure of › abdominal wall muscle or fascia (of)
- Dehiscence › closure of › fascia › abdominal (of)
- Dehiscence › closure of › muscle or muscle flap › abdominal (of)
- Dehiscence › operation wound NEC › internal operation wound › abdominal wall muscle or fascia (of)
- Disruption › wound › operation › internal operation wound › abdominal wall muscle or fascia (of)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from T81.3
The conditions below can never be reported together with T81.321 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
Use additional code — inherited from Chapter 19
Report an additional code alongside T81.321 to fully describe the condition. T81.321 is sequenced first.
- code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)
Use additional code — inherited from T80-T88
Report an additional code alongside T81.321 to fully describe the condition. T81.321 is sequenced first.
Use additional code — inherited from T81
Report an additional code alongside T81.321 to fully describe the condition. T81.321 is sequenced first.
- code for adverse effect, if applicable, to identify drug (T36-T50 with fifth or sixth character 5)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 19
The conditions below are not part of T81.321, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, T81.321 and the excluded code may both be reported.
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from T80-T88
The conditions below are not part of T81.321, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, T81.321 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- any encounters with medical care for postprocedural conditions in which no complications are present, such as:
- artificial opening status (Z93.-)
- closure of external stoma (Z43.-)
- fitting and adjustment of external prosthetic device (Z44.-)
- burns and corrosions from local applications and irradiation (T20-T32)
- complications of surgical procedures during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- mechanical complication of respirator [ventilator] (J95.850)
- poisoning and toxic effects of drugs and chemicals (T36-T65 with fifth or sixth character 1-4 or 6)
- postprocedural fever (R50.82)
- specified complications classified elsewhere, such as:
- cerebrospinal fluid leak from spinal puncture (G97.0)
- colostomy malfunction (K94.0-)
- disorders of fluid and electrolyte imbalance (E86-E87)
- functional disturbances following cardiac surgery (I97.0-I97.1)
- intraoperative and postprocedural complications of specified body systems (D78.-, E36.-, E89.-, G97.3-, G97.4, H59.3-, H59.-, H95.2-, H95.3, I97.4-, I97.5, J95.6-, J95.7, K91.6-, L76.-, M96.-, N99.-)
- ostomy complications (J95.0-, K94.-, N99.5-)
- postgastric surgery syndromes (K91.1)
- postlaminectomy syndrome NEC (M96.1)
- postmastectomy lymphedema syndrome (I97.2)
- postsurgical blind-loop syndrome (K91.2)
- ventilator associated pneumonia (J95.851)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from T81
The conditions below are not part of T81.321, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, T81.321 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- complications following immunization (T88.0-T88.1)
- complications following infusion, transfusion and therapeutic injection (T80.-)
- complications of transplanted organs and tissue (T86.-)
- specified complications classified elsewhere, such as:
- complication of prosthetic devices, implants and grafts (T82-T85)
- dermatitis due to drugs and medicaments (L23.3, L24.4, L25.1, L27.0-L27.1)
- endosseous dental implant failure (M27.6-)
- floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) (intraoperative) H21.81
- intraoperative and postprocedural complications of specific body system (D78.-, E36.-, E89.-, G97.3-, G97.4, H59.3-, H59.-, H95.2-, H95.3, I97.4-, I97.5, J95, K91.-, L76.-, M96.-, N99.-)
- ostomy complications (J95.0-, K94.-, N99.5-)
- plateau iris syndrome (post-iridectomy) (postprocedural) H21.82
- poisoning and toxic effects of drugs and chemicals (T36-T65 with fifth or sixth character 1-4)
What codes fall under T81.321? (3)
- T81.321ADisruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia, initial encounter
- T81.321DDisruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia, subsequent encounter
- T81.321SDisruption or dehiscence of closure of internal operation (surgical) wound of abdominal wall muscle or fascia, sequela
How long has T81.321 existed?
T81.321 first appears in FY2025.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.