I50.9 - Heart failure, unspecified

Clinical Definition

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a rapidly progressive form of acute respiratory failure characterized by severe inflammation of the lungs, leading to impaired gas exchange and hypoxemia. It's typically triggered by direct or indirect lung injury.

Documentation Requirements

• Acuity

  • Must specify "acute" respiratory distress syndrome

  • Document duration of symptoms

  • Include PaO2/FiO2 ratio (<300 mmHg)

• Causation

  • Document underlying cause (e.g., sepsis, pneumonia, trauma)

  • Link ARDS to precipitating condition using terms like "due to" or "secondary to"

• Severity

  • Mild: 200 mmHg < PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 300 mmHg

  • Moderate: 100 mmHg < PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 200 mmHg

  • Severe: PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 100 mmHg

• Clinical Findings

  • Bilateral infiltrates on chest imaging

  • Onset within one week of clinical insult

  • Document that edema is not fully explained by cardiac failure

Common Synonyms

• Shock lung

• White lung syndrome

• Adult respiratory distress syndrome

• Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema

• Wet lung

Coding Conflicts

Excludes1:

• Respiratory distress syndrome of newborn (P22.0)

• Respiratory failure NOS (J96.-)

Scribing.io Automation

The AI scribe automatically identifies and captures:

• PaO2/FiO2 ratios from lab results

• Chest imaging findings mentioning bilateral infiltrates

• Temporal relationships between onset and triggering events

• Documented severity indicators

• Causative relationships between ARDS and underlying conditions

The system flags missing elements required for complete ARDS documentation and prompts for specific clarification during the encounter.