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Tip: Review critical care criteria for the ED

APCs Insider, October 23, 2015

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Angina occurs when the heart doesn't get enough blood due to narrow or blocked coronary arteries. Patients are likely to experience it as chest pain. It can occur after exertion or eating a heavy meal and can last for up to 15 minutes.

Coders have four options for reporting angina in ICD-10-CM:

• I20.0, unstable angina
• I20.1, angina pectoris with documented spasm
• I20.8, other forms of angina pectoris
• I20.9, angina pectoris unspecified

Unstable angina occurs when the symptoms are severe and don't occur on a regular basis. The pain is more frequent, may last longer, and won't be relieved by nitroglycerin like the other types will.

Angina pectoris with documented spasm occurs when there is a temporary constriction of the walls of the coronary arteries. This can narrow, decrease, or completely prevent blood flow to part of the heart muscle during that time. The spasms will lead to angina, which can lead to a myocardial infarction.

This tip is adapted from “Prepare for ICD-10-CM implementation by reviewing common cardiac conditions" in the October issue of Briefings on APCs.

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