Alphabetic Index FY2027

T18.9

Foreign body of alimentary tract, part unspecified

FY2027Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes/T15–T19 Effects of foreign body entering through natural orifice

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

T18.9 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code header for foreign body of alimentary tract, part unspecified. Report a more specific code from it instead. It is part of the FY2027 code set, effective October 1, 2026. A 7th character is required to complete the code. Its coding notes include a Use additional code instruction and 7 Excludes2 entries.

7th character

Category T18 requires a 7th character. T18.9 has only 4 characters, so a placeholder X fills the empty positions.

Assembled code T18.9XXA Open code

Guidelines tip

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

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

Use additional code

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

Also from chapter/block level (2 notes)
Inherited from T15–T19 Effects of foreign body entering through natural orifice
  • code, if known, for foreign body entering into or through a natural orifice (W44.-)
Inherited from Chapter 19 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
  • code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Excludes2

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

Inherited from T18 Foreign body in alimentary tract
  • foreign body in pharynx (T17.2-)
Also from chapter/block level (6 notes)
Inherited from T15–T19 Effects of foreign body entering through natural orifice
  • foreign body accidentally left in operation wound (T81.5-)
  • foreign body in penetrating wound - See open wound by body region
  • residual foreign body in soft tissue (M79.5)
  • splinter, without open wound - See superficial injury by body region
Inherited from Chapter 19 Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
  • birth trauma (P10-P15)
  • obstetric trauma (O70-O71)

Inclusion terms

Conditions classified to this code.

This code
  • Foreign body in digestive system NOS
  • Swallowed foreign body NOS

Notes

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. 10 entries

7th-character codes under T18.9 3