10ICD Code Hub

I26

Header — not billable

Pulmonary embolism

The ICD-10 code for pulmonary embolism is I26.

I26 is a non-billable header code. It groups related conditions but cannot be used on its own for reimbursement — select one of the 2 more specific codes below.

Clinical notes

Excludes1 (not coded here)

An Excludes1 note is a pure exclusion: the excluded condition and this code should never be reported together, because the two conditions cannot occur at the same time (e.g. a congenital form vs. an acquired form of the same disease).

  • cor pulmonale without embolism (I27.81)

Excludes2 (not included here)

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of this one, but a patient can have both at the same time — in that case both codes may be reported together.

  • chronic pulmonary embolism (I27.82)
  • personal history of pulmonary embolism (Z86.711)
  • pulmonary embolism complicating abortion, ectopic or molar pregnancy (O00-O07, O08.2)
  • pulmonary embolism complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O88.-)
  • pulmonary embolism due to trauma (T79.0, T79.1)
  • pulmonary embolism due to complications of surgical and medical care (T80.0, T81.7-, T82.8-)
  • septic (non-pulmonary) arterial embolism (I76)

Includes

Terms listed here further define or give examples of the conditions grouped under this code — they describe what the code covers, not a separate diagnosis.

  • pulmonary (acute) (artery)(vein) infarction
  • pulmonary (acute) (artery)(vein) thromboembolism
  • pulmonary (acute) (artery)(vein) thrombosis

Documentation support

General coding-documentation guidance — not a substitute for payer-specific requirements or professional coding judgment.

Child codes under I26

Related codes in this category