031909F
Bypass Ulnar Artery, Right to Lower Arm Vein with Autologous Venous Tissue, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | 3 Upper Arteries |
| Operation | 1 Bypass |
| Body Part | 9 Ulnar Artery, Right |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | 9 Autologous Venous Tissue |
| Qualifier | F Lower Arm Vein |
Operation Definition
Altering the route of passage of the contents of a tubular body part
Procedure Overview
Bypass procedures on the upper arteries reroute blood flow around a blocked or narrowed segment of an artery serving the head, neck, or upper extremities, using either a graft vessel or a rerouted native artery to reconnect blood supply beyond the obstruction. Common targets include the carotid, subclavian, axillary, and brachial arteries, where atherosclerotic disease can starve the brain, arm, or hand of adequate blood flow.
Surgeons perform these bypasses when angioplasty and stenting are unlikely to hold, when the blockage is too long or calcified for endovascular repair, or when a prior stent has failed. A graft, taken from the patient's own vein or a synthetic tube, is sewn in above and below the diseased segment so blood detours around it.
The goal is to protect against stroke, arm ischemia, or tissue loss by restoring adequate perfusion, and the operation is typically considered after imaging confirms the location and severity of the narrowing.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Ulnar Artery, Right
The right ulnar artery, the larger of the two forearm terminal branches in most individuals, is bypassed when occlusive or traumatic disease threatens hand perfusion, particularly when the palmar arch cannot adequately compensate through the radial system. Its course deep to the flexor carpi ulnaris and proximity to the ulnar nerve mean that exposure for graft placement carries a recognized risk of nerve irritation. Because the vessel is small, bypass at this level often uses fine-caliber vein grafts and is reserved for cases where endovascular options have failed or are unsuitable, such as hypothenar hammer syndrome or digital ischemia. The distal anastomotic site, whether at the wrist or into the deep palmar arch, is a key documentation detail that determines the specific body part value assigned to the procedure.
Approach: Open
Open approach means the surgeon cuts through skin, mucous membrane, or other tissue layers to physically expose the target site to view before performing the procedure. It gives direct visualization and hands-on access, distinguishing it from Percutaneous approaches where instruments pass through a small puncture without exposing the site. Open is typical for procedures needing wide access, such as most laparotomies.
Device: Autologous Venous Tissue
Autologous Venous Tissue describes a vein harvested from the patient's own body, commonly the saphenous vein, and used as a graft or conduit elsewhere in the same patient, as in coronary or peripheral bypass. Being autologous, it avoids rejection risk associated with donor or synthetic material, and it is distinguished from Autologous Arterial Tissue by originating from venous rather than arterial vasculature.
Qualifier: Lower Arm Vein
Denotes a vein situated in the forearm, distal to the elbow, most often the basilic, cephalic, or median antebrachial vein, as the object of a venous intervention. It contrasts with Upper Arm Vein by its distal location and is relevant in procedures like fistula creation or clot removal for dialysis access. Selecting the correct arm-vein qualifier depends on where along the limb the vessel actually lies.
Coding & Documentation
Assigning a bypass code from this family requires documentation of both the proximal and distal anatomic sites the graft connects, since ICD-10-PCS bypass coding is built around a 'from-to' body part convention rather than a single location. The operative report must also specify graft material (autologous vein, synthetic, or other) because the device value changes accordingly. A recurring mistake is coding only the diseased artery without capturing the second, distal qualifier that defines where the bypass terminates; another is confusing a bypass with an endarterectomy, which clears the vessel rather than routing around it.