M72.68: Necrotizing fasciitis Other

The tissue beneath your skin has become inflamed in your head, neck or upper body.

Inflammations like these are caused by pathogens. The pathogens can get into the soft tissue beneath the skin through wounds in the skin. This can also happen in the case of minor wounds. But the pathogens can also get into the soft tissue from other parts of the body via the blood.

Soft tissue includes muscles, fatty tissue and connective tissue, for example. Muscles are surrounded by a thin layer of connective tissue. The pathogens cause severe inflammation in this layer of connective tissue, in the fatty tissue and in the muscles. As a result, the affected tissue is badly damaged and parts of the tissue die off. The inflammation can evolve within a few hours and spread to other parts of the body via the blood.

The inflammation of the soft tissue beneath the skin can cause pain. The skin may become discolored, turning first red, then blue or brown. Large wounds may occur. You can also have a fever and feel very weak. If the inflammation spreads to the blood and other parts of the body, you may suffer other problems. In that case, you may be seriously ill.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).