ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0KD60ZZ

Extraction Shoulder Muscle, Left to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemK Muscles
OperationD Extraction
Body Part6 Shoulder Muscle, Left
Approach0 Open
DeviceZ No Device
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Pulling or stripping out or off all or a portion of a body part by the use of force

Procedure Overview

Extraction procedures on the muscles describe pulling or stripping tissue out using mechanical force, rather than cutting it away with a blade. In practice this is most often non-excisional debridement, where devitalized or damaged muscle fibers are torn free and removed, commonly after a crush injury, severe laceration, or advanced infection where the tissue has lost its blood supply.

The purpose is to clear away tissue that cannot heal on its own and would otherwise slow recovery or promote infection, while sparing viable muscle whenever possible. It differs from a scalpel-based excision because the surgeon is stripping or avulsing the tissue rather than making a defined surgical cut.

This approach is typically used at the bedside or in the operating room for wound care, particularly in trauma and burn management, where speed and tissue preservation both matter.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Shoulder Muscle, Left

On the left shoulder, the deltoid and rotator cuff musculature stabilize the joint during overhead and rotational movement, making them susceptible to overuse injury and occasional embedded foreign material from prior surgery or trauma. Extraction of left shoulder muscle tissue is performed by pulling it out with force, a technique used for percutaneous biopsy of a mass or removal of a retained suture or anchor fragment rather than for planned tissue resection. The subacromial space and adjacent bursa can complicate access, so many of these procedures rely on imaging guidance to confirm the target before the muscle is entered. Accurate laterality documentation is essential, as left shoulder muscle is coded separately from its right-sided counterpart despite identical technique and rationale.

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.

Coding & Documentation

Documentation needs to specifically describe the tissue as being pulled, torn, or stripped away rather than incised, since the technique itself is what defines this root operation. Notes that simply say "debridement" without describing the mechanism leave the coder guessing between Extraction and Excision.

A frequent assignment mistake is defaulting to Excision for all debridement procedures out of habit, when the physician's own description supports Extraction. Coders should also watch for mixed encounters where both sharp excisional debridement and manual stripping occur in the same operative session, which calls for separate codes reflecting each technique.

Commonly Confused With

ExcisionExcision is the closest relative and the one most often mixed up with Extraction, distinguished purely by method: cutting with an instrument versus pulling by force.
ExtirpationExtirpation can look similar when foreign material is being pulled out of muscle, but that root operation applies to abnormal matter rather than the patient's own muscle tissue.
DetachmentDetachment applies instead when an entire body part, such as a limb, is being surgically separated, which is a different clinical scenario than removing damaged tissue from a muscle that remains in place.