Blindness due to an allergic reaction to ampicillin administered 6 years ago would be reported as a(n)

The current condition, blindness, is a residual effect of a past event. The term "late effect," or sequela, is used to code a condition that remains after the acute phase of an illness or injury has resolved. The initial event was an "allergic reaction" to a correctly administered drug (ampicillin), which is classified as an adverse reaction. Poisoning refers to reactions from improper use of a medication (e.g., overdose, wrong substance). Therefore, the blindness is correctly identified as a late effect of an adverse reaction, as it occurred six years after the initial event.

A. poisoning: This is incorrect because an allergic reaction to a properly administered drug is an adverse effect, not a poisoning.
B. adverse reaction to a drug: This is incorrect because the acute adverse reaction occurred in the past; the current diagnosis is the residual condition (late effect).
C. late effect of a poisoning: This is incorrect because the causal event was an adverse reaction, not a poisoning.

1. ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting FY 2024. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Section I.B.10. Sequelae (Late Effects): "A sequela is the residual effect (condition produced) after the acute phase of an illness or injury has terminated...Coding of sequela generally requires two codes sequenced in the following order: The condition or nature of the sequela is sequenced first. The sequela code is sequenced second." This guideline establishes the principle of coding for a late effect.

Section I.C.19.e.5). Adverse Effect: "When the drug was correctly prescribed and properly administered

code the reaction plus the appropriate code from table T36-T50. The adverse effect is sequenced first." This defines the initial event as an adverse effect

distinguishing it from poisoning.

2. Sayles

N. B.

& Trawick

M. A. (2021). Health Information Management Technology: An Applied Approach (6th ed.). AHIMA Press.

Chapter 6

Clinical Classifications and Coding Systems: This chapter details the fundamental principles of ICD-10-CM coding

including the distinction between an adverse effect (a reaction to a drug correctly administered) and a poisoning (a reaction to a drug taken incorrectly). It also defines a sequela (late effect) as a condition that follows an acute illness

aligning with the correct answer.

3. Indiana University. (n.d.). HIM-M 330 Medical Terminology. School of Informatics and Computing.

Course materials on ICD-10-CM coding principles emphasize that a sequela is a chronic condition resulting from a previous acute condition. The coding requires identifying both the residual effect and the original cause

specifying if the cause was an injury

adverse effect

or other illness. This supports identifying the blindness as a sequela of the past adverse reaction.