(2022) How To Code Dyspnea – List With Codes & Guidelines

Dyspnea is the medical term for shortness of breath. This condition can vary from mild and temporary to serious and long lasting. This article will outline the causes of Dyspnea, the sympsoms, diagnose, treatment and the ICD 10 codes for Dyspnea.

What Is Dyspnea?

Dyspnea is a feeling of shortness of breath (shortness of breath ICD 10). When breathing becomes difficult, the sufferer feels like they are unable to breathe properly. When the heart rate drops low, a person finds that breathing becomes extremely difficult. Some other symptoms of dyspnea include a feeling that the chest is restricted, a tight feeling in the chest, chest tightness and shortness of breath.

Causes

Dyspnea ICD 10 is caused by the airway closing due to narrowing, pressure buildup or poor airflow. Causes of Dyspnea can be:

1. Pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, lung disease.
2. Medical conditions, for example, cardiac disease, interstitial lung disease, tumors or surgery
3. Pulmonary embolism, decompression sickness or veno-occlusive disease
4. Pulmonary hypertension.

Symptoms

Dyspnea is a general term that means a weak or rapid breathing pattern. An exhale or any other exhalation will be accompanied with a loud wheezing sound. The wheezing sound in a dyspnea patient will be audible. The signs and symptoms of dyspnea vary from one person to another. Some people may not even know that they are suffering from dyspnea, while some may have the pain before they realize that they are suffering from dyspnea.

Symptoms of dyspnea can include:

1. Congestion Shortness of breath.
2. Coughing.
3. Chest pain or discomfort.
4. Bad taste in the mouth.

When the condition is accompanied by other symptoms like chest pain or discomfort, the chances of dying from heart failure increase.

Diagnosis

An individual may experience shortness of breath that lasts for a short duration, severe pain in the chest, shortness of breath with activity, coughing, and wheezing. This would indicate that the lungs or breathing muscles are weak or are not getting enough air supply. The characteristic symptom is the feeling of shortness of breath and breathing may be very difficult.

The Dyspnea pain needs to be present and diagnosed over at least one hour. It needs to last for at least one week and be persistent.

Treatments

The goal of treatment for dyspnea is usually to clear the airway, maintain a normal blood pressure and allow breathing to return to normal.

Dyspnea treatments can include:

1. Gagging, aspirating, and coughing to clear the airway.
2. Giving oxygen via an albuterol inhaler.
3. Providing supplemental oxygen to oxygenate the airways.
4. Adrenaline to reduce cardiac and respiratory arrest.
5. Moist airway breathing products to aid breathing.
6. Antibiotics to treat infections.
7. Tranexamic acid is an antiseptic agent that works by reversing blood clots that form from deep abdominal bleeding. This treatment option can be very effective, even when there are no obvious external signs of deep abdominal bleeding.

Dyspnea (Shortness Of Breath) ICD 10 Codes

The ICD 10 Codes for Dyspnea can be found in chapter 18 of the ICD 10 manual.

ICD 10 R06.00: Dyspnea unspecified.
ICD 10 R06.01: Orthopnea.
ICD 10 R06.02: Shortness of breath.
ICD 10 R06.03: Acute respiratory distress.
ICD 10 R06.09: Other forms of dyspnea.