AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC) — Question 28

A 2-year-old male presents with a single ventricular septal defect (VSD) and is in current heart failure. The decision is made to use a patch for the closure. Under general anesthesia, the skin incision is made via median sternotomy. Cardiopulmonary bypass is initiated. Under epicardial guidance, the muscular VSD is located. The guidewire is placed transmyocardially through the VSD. A patch is then delivered over guidance to close the VSD. After successful closure, the guidewire is removed, and the site is repaired. A chest tube is placed in the sternum.
What is the correct code for this procedure?

Answer options

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct code is 33681, which corresponds to the closure of a VSD using a patch under cardiopulmonary bypass. The other options are not suitable as they refer to different procedures or variations of cardiac surgery that do not match the specifics of this case.