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O69.4: Labour and delivery complicated by vasa praevia

While your child was being born, problems occurred due to a defect in the umbilical cord.

The placenta forms in the mother’s womb during pregnancy. The placenta consists of cells from the mother and cells from the unborn child. The umbilical cord connects the child to the placenta. During pregnancy the umbilical cord connects the child's blood circulation to the mother's. The child receives nutrients and oxygen via the blood vessels in the umbilical cord. The umbilical cord usually begins at the placenta itself. The blood vessels of the placenta are then connected to those of the umbilical cord.

In the case of defects like these, it may be that the umbilical cord begins not in the middle at the placenta, but to the side, at the amnions. Amnions covers the placenta and form the amniotic sac. The amniotic sac encircle the child during pregnancy. When the umbilical cord begins at the amnions, blood vessels run between the placenta and umbilical cord at some parts of the amnions. These blood vessels then sit unprotected in the amnions of the amniotic sac. You may also have a bilobed, or divided, placenta. When placenta is divided there are blood vessels that connect the different parts of the placenta. These blood vessels, too, may sit unprotected in the amnions of the amniotic sac.

When the amniotic sac tears during the birth, the unprotected blood vessels in the amnions can also tear. Mother and child may then bleed heavily. In your case some of these blood vessels run close to the mouth of the womb. The ostium uteri is the mouth of the womb. With a natural birth, the child is pushed out through the mouth of the womb.

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).