ICD-10-CM 2027 diagnosis code
S06.38Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem
S06.38 is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself. Choose one of the 11 more specific codes beneath it and add the required 7th character.
Code unchanged since ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. Source: official FY2027 ICD-10-CM release from CDC/NCHS and CMS. Page updated September 29, 2026. About our data
About S06.38
S06.38 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem. It belongs to category S06 (intracranial injury), block S00-S09 (injuries to the head) and chapter 19 (injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 11 subcodes must be used instead.
Within S06.3 (focal traumatic brain injury), S06.38 is specifically for contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem. Related codes cover unspecified focal traumatic brain injury (S06.30), contusion and laceration of right cerebrum (S06.31), contusion and laceration of left cerebrum (S06.32), contusion and laceration of cerebrum, unspecified (S06.33), traumatic hemorrhage of right cerebrum (S06.34), traumatic hemorrhage of left cerebrum (S06.35), traumatic hemorrhage of cerebrum, unspecified (S06.36) and contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of cerebellum (S06.37).
Codes in this range require a 7th character: A for initial encounter, D for subsequent encounter and S for sequela. Use placeholder "X" characters to fill any empty positions before the 7th character.
Use an additional code, if applicable, to identify mild neurocognitive disorders due to known physiological condition (F06.7-).
It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.
7th character
The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S06, except as noted below
- S06.380Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem without loss of consciousness
- S06.381Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of 30 minutes or less
- S06.382Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of 31 minutes to 59 minutes
- S06.383Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of 1 hour to 5 hours 59 minutes
- S06.384Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of 6 hours to 24 hours
- S06.385Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness greater than 24 hours with return to pre-existing conscious level
- S06.386Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness greater than 24 hours without return to pre-existing conscious level with patient surviving
- S06.387Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of any duration with death due to brain injury prior to regaining consciousness
- S06.388Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of any duration with death due to other cause prior to regaining consciousness
- S06.389Contusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness of unspecified duration
- S06.38AContusion, laceration, and hemorrhage of brainstem with loss of consciousness status unknown
- Ainitial encounter
- Dsubsequent encounter
- Ssequela
Notes that apply from higher levels
Instructions written at a parent level also apply to S06.38.
› From S06 Intracranial injury
- 7th characters D and S do not apply to codes in category S06 with 6th character 7 - death due to brain injury prior to regaining consciousness, or 8 - death due to other cause prior to regaining consciousness.
- traumatic brain injury
- head injury NOS (S09.90)
- code, if applicable, to identify mild neurocognitive disorders due to known physiological condition (F06.7-)
Broader instructions also apply from S00-S09 Injuries to the head and Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.
Alphabetic index entries
4 entriesTerms in the official ICD-10-CM index that lead to S06.38.
Code history
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
- 2026
- 2027
- FY2016 (effective 10/1/2015): Added (first year of ICD-10-CM)
- No changes since FY2016.
Common questions about S06.38
Is S06.38 billable?
- No. S06.38 is a header code. Report one of its more specific subcodes instead.