L03.9

Clinical Information

• A bacterial infection that affects and spreads in the skin and soft tissues. Signs and symptoms include pain, tenderness and reddening in the affected area, fever, chills, and lymphadenopathy.

• An acute, diffuse, and suppurative inflammation of loose connective tissue, particularly the deep subcutaneous tissues, and sometimes muscle, which is most commonly seen as a result of infection of a wound, ulcer, or other skin lesions.

• An acute, spreading infection of the deep tissues of the skin and muscle that causes the skin to become warm and tender and may also cause fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, and blisters.

• Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the deepest layer of your skin. Bacteria can enter your body through a break in the skin – from a cut, scratch, or bite. Usually if your skin gets infected, it’s just the top layer and it goes away on its own with proper care. But with cellulitis, the deep skin tissues in the infected area become red, hot, irritated and painful. Cellulitis is most common on the face and lower legs. You may have cellulitis if you notice

• Inflammation that may involve the skin and or subcutaneous tissues, and or muscle

Details

• L03.9 should not be used for reimbursement purposes as there are multiple codes below it that contain a greater level of detail.

• The 2023 edition of ICD-10-CM L03.9 became effective on October 1, 2022.

• This is the American ICD-10-CM version of L03.9 – other international versions of ICD-10 L03.9 may differ.