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ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code

R40.233Coma scale, best motor response, abnormal flexion

Not billable — use a more specific codeRequires 7th character

R40.233 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 5 more specific codes beneath it and add the required 7th character.

Code last changed in FY2019 (effective October 1, 2018). Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data

About R40.233

R40.233 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for coma scale, best motor response, abnormal flexion. It belongs to category R40 (Somnolence, stupor and coma), block R40-R46 (symptoms and signs involving cognition, perception, emotional state and behavior) and chapter 18 (symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 5 subcodes must be used instead.

Within R40.23 (coma scale, best motor response), R40.233 is specifically for coma scale, best motor response, abnormal flexion. Related codes cover none (R40.231), extension (R40.232), flexion withdrawal (R40.234), localizes pain (R40.235) and obeys commands (R40.236).

Codes in this range require a 7th character: 0 for unspecified time, 1 for in the field [EMT or ambulance], 2 for at arrival to emergency department, 3 for at hospital admission and 4 for 24 hours or more after hospital admission. Use placeholder "X" characters to fill any empty positions before the 7th character.

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015, and changed in FY2019 (title revised).

7th character

The following appropriate 7th character is to be added to subcategory R40.23-:

Coding notes

Applicable toConditions and synonyms classified to this code
  • Abnormal flexure posturing to pain or noxious stimuli (2-5 years of age)
  • Coma scale motor score of 3
  • Flexion/decorticate posturing (< 2 years of age)

Notes that apply from higher levels

Instructions written at a parent level also apply to R40.233.

› From R40.2 Coma
Note
  • One code from each subcategory, R40.21-R40.23, is required to complete the coma scale
Code first
  • any associated:
  • fracture of skull (S02.-)
  • intracranial injury (S06.-)
› From R40 Somnolence, stupor and coma
Excludes1
  • neonatal coma (P91.5)
  • somnolence, stupor and coma in diabetes (E08-E13)
  • somnolence, stupor and coma in hepatic failure (K72.-)
  • somnolence, stupor and coma in hypoglycemia (nondiabetic) (E15)

Broader instructions also apply from R40-R46 Symptoms and signs involving cognition, perception, emotional state and behavior and Chapter 18: Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified.

Alphabetic index entries

4 entries

Terms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to R40.233.

Code history

  1. 2016
  2. 2017
  3. 2018
  4. 2019
  5. 2020
  6. 2021
  7. 2022
  8. 2023
  9. 2024
  10. 2025
  11. 2026
  12. 2027
  • FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
  • FY2019 (effective 10/1/2018): Title revised — was “Coma scale, best motor response, abnormal”

Common questions about R40.233

Is R40.233 billable?

No. R40.233 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.