Tuesday, October 20, 2026

ICD-10-CM code S45.091 specifies an injury to the right axillary artery that falls outside standard traumatic categories like complete laceration or simple transection. High-energy shoulder trauma, such as anterior dislocations or proximal humerus fractures, can compress or stretch the vessel, causing arterial thrombosis, intimal tears, or pseudoaneurysms. Proper documentation must clearly distinguish these non-transection vascular injuries to ensure correct severity scoring. Remember, this specific category requires a 7th character to designate the patient encounter type.