Which code best describes an acute duodenal ulcer with hemorrhage?

Which code best describes an acute duodenal ulcer with hemorrhage?

• A. K26.0
• B. K25.2
• C. K26.2
• D. K27.0

Answer: (A)

For this scenario, you identify the ulcer by location and the exact complication, and you choose the code that specifies acute status with hemorrhage. Duodenal ulcers are coded under K26. The decimal subcodes tell you the complication: .0 means hemorrhage, .1 means perforation, and .2 means both hemorrhage and perforation. An acute duodenal ulcer with hemorrhage matches K26.0 because it describes an acute ulcer in the duodenum with bleeding, without mention of perforation. The other options point to the wrong site or different complications: a gastric ulcer code (K25.x) belongs to the stomach, not the duodenum; a code for perforation alone (K26.1) or for both hemorrhage and perforation (K26.2) adds a complication not stated; and a non-acute/unspecified duodenal ulcer code (K27.0) does not specify the hemorrhage. So the precise match for acute duodenal ulcer with hemorrhage is K26.0.

For this scenario, you identify the ulcer by location and the exact complication, and you choose the code that specifies acute status with hemorrhage. Duodenal ulcers are coded under K26. The decimal subcodes tell you the complication: .0 means hemorrhage, .1 means perforation, and .2 means both hemorrhage and perforation. An acute duodenal ulcer with hemorrhage matches K26.0 because it describes an acute ulcer in the duodenum with bleeding, without mention of perforation. The other options point to the wrong site or different complications: a gastric ulcer code (K25.x) belongs to the stomach, not the duodenum; a code for perforation alone (K26.1) or for both hemorrhage and perforation (K26.2) adds a complication not stated; and a non-acute/unspecified duodenal ulcer code (K27.0) does not specify the hemorrhage. So the precise match for acute duodenal ulcer with hemorrhage is K26.0.