ICD-10 Code O88.0: Obstetric air embolism
What is this code?
ICD-10 entries help standardize how diagnoses are organized for coding, reporting, analytics, and documentation. This code sits within the broader ICD-10 area for Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A).
đź“‹Clinical overview
This ICD-10 overview page groups obstetric air-embolism codes under a non-billable parent code. The most accurate billable code usually depends on whether the event occurred during pregnancy, childbirth, or the puerperium and whether trimester detail is documented for pregnancy encounters.
When is it used?
- May be used when a clinician documents obstetric air embolism in a patient's medical record.
- May appear in hospital records, claims, referrals, and clinical documentation.
- This code may act more like a grouping or parent code, so a more specific child code may be used in final documentation when available.
What it does not mean
- A code alone does not explain severity, treatment plan, or outcome.
- A medical code should not be treated as a substitute for a doctor's diagnosis or advice.
- This entry may represent a broader category rather than the most specific billable code.
đź©şClinical context
- Parent-code browsing, coding review, and clinical-reference workflows where the goal is to understand the obstetric air-embolism branch before selecting a more specific timing-based child code.
- Documentation review where air embolism is the known subtype, but the user is navigating the overview page rather than a pregnancy-trimester, childbirth, or puerperium leaf code.
- Overview-level review often includes acute cardiopulmonary symptom context, stabilization history, maternal timing review, and coordination across obstetric, anesthesia, emergency, and critical-care teams.
- The final billable code usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies pregnancy trimester detail or confirms childbirth versus puerperium timing.
- Specialist context already linked on this page includes Obstetrician, Gynecologist.
🔍Key distinctions
- This parent page is an overview for obstetric air-embolism codes rather than the most specific billable timing-based child code.
- Maternal timing is the key distinction across this family.
Code hierarchy
Where you may see this code
You may see this entry in coding references, medical records, or claims workflows when a broader diagnosis category is being reviewed before a more specific code is chosen.
Related specialists
Sibling codes
Mapped diagnoses and classifications
Coding guidelines
Compatibility
Common synonyms
Frequently asked questions
About this content
This page is prepared by HealthAssure's clinical team using official coding standards from ICD-10. AI tools assist with drafting explanations, which are then reviewed and verified by healthcare professionals for accuracy. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. Meet our team.