06.01.07
June Question of the Month
Q: A patient with diffuse axonal injury (DAI), confirmed by both clinical and radiologic evidence, also has an intraventricular hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhages. This patient remained unconscious from the time of the insult until discharge from the ICU 7 days after admission. How would you code the intraventricular hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhages in AIS 2005?
A: These injuries should not be coded. DAI is an example of a global injury which may or may not be accompanied by other radiologic findings. A clarification for coding DAI is now included on page 40 in the Updated Pages found at www.aaam1.org/ais .