T51
Toxic effect of alcohol
T51 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code category for toxic effect of alcohol. 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 T51.0 Toxic effect of ethanol, T51.1 Toxic effect of methanol, T51.2 Toxic effect of 2-Propanol, T51.3 Toxic effect of fusel oil and 2 more. Its coding notes include a Use additional code instruction, 1 Excludes1 entry and 2 Excludes2 entries.
7th characters
Every code below needs one of these.
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category T51
- Ainitial encounter
- Dsubsequent encounter
- Ssequela
Guidelines tips
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.
T36-T65 codes already include the substance and the intent, so no additional external cause code is required. Do not code directly from the Table of Drugs and Chemicals.
Use additional code
Add the listed code as a secondary code, if known.
Also from chapter/block level (5 notes)
- code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)
Excludes1
Not coded here. The listed conditions generally should not be reported together.
Excludes2
Not included here. Both codes may be reported if the patient has both conditions.
Also from chapter/block level (2 notes)
- birth trauma (P10-P15)
- obstetric trauma (O70-O71)
Notes
Also from chapter/block level (3 notes)
- When no intent is indicated code to accidental. Undetermined intent is only for use when there is specific documentation in the record that the intent of the toxic effect cannot be determined.
- 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.