10ICD Code Hub

O68

Billable code

Labor and delivery complicated by abnormality of fetal acid-base balance

The ICD-10 code for labor and delivery complicated by abnormality of fetal acid-base balance is O68.

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).

  • fetal stress NOS (O77.9)
  • labor and delivery complicated by electrocardiographic evidence of fetal stress (O77.8)
  • labor and delivery complicated by ultrasonic evidence of fetal stress (O77.8)

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.

  • abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)
  • labor and delivery complicated by meconium in amniotic fluid (O77.0)

Also known as

Alternate wording, synonyms, or specific conditions that fall under this code, listed to help confirm you've picked the right one.

  • Fetal acidemia complicating labor and delivery
  • Fetal acidosis complicating labor and delivery
  • Fetal alkalosis complicating labor and delivery
  • Fetal metabolic acidemia complicating labor and delivery

Documentation support

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

Related codes in this category

ICD-9-CM equivalent

Informational only — GEM mappings are approximate, not guaranteed one-to-one equivalents. Verify before use in billing.

View full ICD-10 → ICD-9 crosswalk →

Associated MS-DRGs

O68 can serve as the principal diagnosis for these Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups.

Informational only — actual DRG assignment also depends on procedures, complications/comorbidities (CC/MCC), discharge status, and payer-specific rules not reflected here.