A scenario was brought to my attention. A labor epidural for a vaginal delivery. I have always been told that if it’s a completed vaginal delivery for anesthesia the correct Dx codes to use are: O80, Z37.? (depending on how many delivered). What was asked to me is, what if there is documentation stating a condition such as: Abnormality of fetal heart rate complication labor & delivery. If these types of conditions are documented, would the correct Dx still be: O80 or should the more appropriate Dx be used?

Thanks for any input on this matter.