Atelectasis can be described as the collapse or deflation of the lung. This problem could affect your entire lung or a specific lobe in your lung, known as the alveoli. There are two forms of atelectasis - acute and chronic. This condition can be quite serious, as it results in the reduction or absence of proper gas exchange within your body.
There are several different factors that could cause your lung to collapse, some of which include the use of anesthesia (during a surgery), exposure to cigarette smoke, accumulation of mucus or fluid in the lungs, blockage in the airways and tumors to name a few. Atelectasis also occurs in children, when they inhale foreign objects. Some of the causes of lung collapse are quite serious and need to be treated by a medical professional immediately. While anyone can suffer from atelectasis, this condition is more likely to occur in certain people or situations. Some of the factors that increase the risks of lung collapse include obesity, leading a highly sedentary lifestyle, smoking cigarettes and a prior history of lung disease.
You may not realize that you are suffering from atelectasis right away, since the condition can be asymptomatic in the initial stages. However, at times deflation of the lung can cause you to experience certain signs such as chest pain, increase in heartbeat rate, breathlessness, mild fever and coughing. The severity of the symptoms may vary, depending upon the causes of the problem. Your doctor may advise you to go through a few tests, like an x ray, a CT scan or an ultrasound of the chest area for an accurate diagnosis.
The treatment path adopted by your doctor may vary, based on the causes and severity of the condition. The different options used for treating atelectasis include physiotherapy, continuous airway pressure, postural drainage, mediation therapy and if required, surgery. There are also a few steps you can take to prevent atelectasis, like quitting smoking, practicing deep breathing exercises and repositioning yourself at regular intervals, if under bed rest.
In addition to atelectasis, this condition is also commonly referred to as pulmonary collapse, middle lobe syndrome and collapse of the lung. However, the ICD 9 code for atelectasis remains the same. The term "ICD 9" is an acronym that is used for International Classification of Diseases, book 9. The World Health Organization (WHO) develops, publishes and monitors the ICD codes throughout the US. These codes are not only used to classify diseases, but also to track mortality rates; ICD codes are generally used by medical facilities to provide a standard classification of diseases. The government also uses these codes to track the statistics of diseases as well as the causes of death.
Each time you visit a doctor or undergo a medical test, your diagnosis will be mentioned in the form of an alphanumeric code that appears on your report. Health experts may use different terms for certain health conditions, which could be quite confusing for a patient. However, every medical professional in the US and other parts of the world will use the same medical code for that particular condition. ICD 9 code descriptions were used in the US from 1979 to 1998. The 10th revision of the ICD codes has been fully implemented since 1998. While many of the ICD 9 code descriptions remain the same in the newest revision, there have been several changes.
The ICD 9 code for atelectasis was 518.0 but the ICD 10 code for the same condition is J98.1. Every doctor or healthcare professional that you visit in the US should mention the same code in your medical report.
References
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.