Alphabetic Index FY2027

S42.44

Fracture (avulsion) of medial epicondyle of humerus

FY2027Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes/S40–S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm

Non-billable headerNot valid on its own. Use one of the more specific codes under it.

S42.44 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code header for fracture (avulsion) of medial epicondyle of humerus. Report a more specific code from it instead. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. The more specific codes under it are S42.441 Displaced fracture (avulsion) of medial epicondyle of right humerus, S42.442 Displaced fracture (avulsion) of medial epicondyle of left humerus, S42.443 Displaced fracture (avulsion) of medial epicondyle of unspecified humerus, S42.444 Nondisplaced fracture (avulsion) of medial epicondyle of right humerus and 5 more. Its coding notes include a Use additional code instruction, 1 Excludes1 entry and 9 Excludes2 entries.

7th characters

Every code below needs one of these (defined at S42).

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S42

  • Ainitial encounter for closed fracture
  • Binitial encounter for open fracture
  • Dsubsequent encounter for fracture with routine healing
  • Gsubsequent encounter for fracture with delayed healing
  • Ksubsequent encounter for fracture with nonunion
  • Psubsequent encounter for fracture with malunion
  • Ssequela

Guidelines tips

From the FY2027 Official Guidelines. ICD10Ref adds no rules of its own.

A fracture not stated as open or closed is coded closed, and one not stated as displaced or not displaced is coded displaced. Nonunion and malunion have their own 7th characters.

Guidelines I.C.19.cTraumatic fractures: open, closed, displaced and 7th charactersRead the official text

The 7th character depends on whether the patient is in active treatment, not on who sees the patient. An aftercare Z code is not used for injury aftercare.

Guidelines I.C.19.aInjuries: application of 7th charactersRead the official text

Each injury gets its own code unless a combination code exists, with the most serious injury first. Superficial injuries at the same site as a more severe injury are not coded. Injuries during medical care are coded as complications.

Guidelines I.C.19.bCoding of injuriesRead the official text

Use additional code

Add the listed code as a secondary code, if known.

Also from chapter/block level (1 note)
Inherited from Chapter 19 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
  • code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Excludes1

Not coded here. The listed conditions generally should not be reported together.

Inherited from S42 Fracture of shoulder and upper arm
  • traumatic amputation of shoulder and upper arm (S48.-)

Excludes2

Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.

Inherited from S42.4 Fracture of lower end of humerus
  • fracture of shaft of humerus (S42.3-)
  • physeal fracture of lower end of humerus (S49.1-)
Inherited from S42 Fracture of shoulder and upper arm
  • periprosthetic fracture around internal prosthetic shoulder joint (M97.3)
Also from chapter/block level (6 notes)
Inherited from S40–S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm
Inherited from Chapter 19 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
  • birth trauma (P10-P15)
  • obstetric trauma (O70-O71)

Includes

Further defines or gives examples of the content of the category.

Also from chapter/block level (2 notes)
Inherited from S40–S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm
  • injuries of axilla
  • injuries of scapular region

Notes

Inherited from S42 Fracture of shoulder and upper arm
  • A fracture not indicated as displaced or nondisplaced should be coded to displaced
  • A fracture not indicated as open or closed should be coded to closed
Also from chapter/block level (2 notes)
Inherited from Chapter 19 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
  • Use secondary code(s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code
  • The chapter uses the S-section for coding different types of injuries related to single body regions and the T-section to cover injuries to unspecified body regions as well as poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.

Alphabetic Index terms

Terms the official Alphabetic Index lists for this code. 3 entries

More specific codes under S42.44 9