05QG0ZZ
Repair Hand Vein, Right to No Qualifier with No Device, Open Approach
Procedural Specifications
| Clinical Axis | Detail Definition |
|---|---|
| Section | 0 Medical and Surgical |
| Body System | 5 Upper Veins |
| Operation | Q Repair |
| Body Part | G Hand Vein, Right |
| Approach | 0 Open |
| Device | Z No Device |
| Qualifier | Z No Qualifier |
Operation Definition
Restoring, to the extent possible, a body part to its normal anatomic structure and function
Procedure Overview
This family covers surgical repair of the veins that drain the arms, shoulders, chest wall, and skull, including the subclavian, axillary, brachial, basilic, cephalic, hand, azygos, hemiazygos, innominate, and intracranial veins. Repair is used when a vein has been cut, torn, punctured, or has developed a leak or fistula that needs to be closed by suturing or other direct means, and no other, more specific procedure (like replacing the vein with a graft or widening it with a stent) applies. Typical scenarios include a vein injured during trauma, a laceration from a misplaced central line or dialysis catheter, or bleeding discovered during an unrelated operation.
Because these veins carry blood back toward the heart at relatively low pressure, many injuries can be managed with direct suture repair rather than a graft, which is why this family exists as a distinct, catch-all restorative option. Patients undergoing this procedure are typically being treated for an acute injury or a complication of another medical intervention rather than a planned elective condition.
Anatomy & Axis Detail
Hand Vein, Right
The hand veins on the right form a superficial dorsal and palmar network draining into the cephalic and basilic systems, and their small caliber and thin walls make them prone to laceration, infiltration injury from IV catheters, or thrombosis after repeated venipuncture. Repair here typically addresses a traumatic tear, a blowout from failed cannulation, or an iatrogenic injury sustained during line placement, restoring the vessel wall so venous return from the digits and hand continues normally. Because these veins are small and superficial, repair is often done under loupe magnification with fine suture, and documentation should specify the affected vein and laterality since the hand contains multiple named and unnamed tributaries that could otherwise be confused on the operative report.
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
Repair is assigned only when documentation shows the surgeon restored the vein's own tissue to its normal structure - for example, "venorrhaphy," "suture repair of laceration," or "closure of iatrogenic venous injury" - without introducing graft material or performing a more specific root operation. The operative note should identify the exact vein involved (since Upper Veins has separate body part values for each named vessel) and describe the technique used to close the defect.
The most common coding error is defaulting to Repair whenever a vein procedure doesn't obviously fit elsewhere, when in fact a more specific root operation is required if the physician actually excised tissue, controlled bleeding through ligation, or patched the vessel with graft material. Coders also miscode the body part by using a generic "upper vein" value instead of the specific named vessel documented, or they miss that Repair is inappropriate when the vein was ligated and divided rather than reconstructed.