Summary & Overview
CPT 01852: Anesthesia for Phleborrhaphy of Forearm, Wrist, Hand
CPT code 01852 denotes anesthesia services for phleborrhaphy, the suturing of veins in the forearm, wrist, and hand. This code identifies anesthetic management of a focused peripheral vascular procedure and is relevant to perioperative billing, resource allocation, and payer coverage determinations across surgical and ambulatory care settings. Clinically, the code applies when a patient requires anesthesia for repair of superficial venous structures in the upper extremity, typically in an operating room or ambulatory surgical center.
Key payers in the national analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise review of billing context, typical sites of service, and commonly applied modifiers associated with perioperative anesthesia for minor vascular procedures. The publication summarizes benchmark considerations and coding practice implications for anesthesia services tied to small-vessel repairs, and highlights where clinical documentation and procedure descriptions intersect with appropriate code selection.
The piece provides clinical context for when 01852 is used, outlines what to expect in payer interactions, and directs readers to the policy and documentation elements that typically affect coverage decisions. Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, related codes, and service-line metrics.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 01852 describes anesthesia services provided for a patient undergoing phleborrhaphy, the surgical suturing of veins of the forearm, wrist, and hand. The service type is anesthesia for a peripheral venous repair procedure. The typical site of service is an ambulatory surgical center or hospital operating room where minor vascular or hand procedures are performed.
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 58-year-old right-handed patient with symptomatic varicosities and recurrent superficial venous bleeding of the dorsal hand and forearm presents for surgical repair. The vascular surgeon plans a focused operative session for phleborrhaphy (suturing of superficial veins) of the wrist, forearm, and hand under monitored anesthesia care with local-regional anesthesia augmentation. Preoperative evaluation includes history and focused physical, assessment of anticoagulation status, consent for anesthesia and procedure, and site marking. In the operating/procedure room the anesthesia provider performs standard monitors, administers local anesthetic field blocks and intravenous sedation as needed, manages airway and hemodynamics, documents intraoperative events, and coordinates postoperative recovery and discharge instructions. Typical workflow includes pre-anesthesia evaluation, induction of sedation/local/regional block, intraoperative management during the phleborrhaphy, postoperative monitoring in PACU or ambulatory recovery, and documentation of anesthesia time and any modifiers reflecting concurrent circumstances.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | Use when anesthesia care is unusually complex or prolonged beyond typical for 01852 due to patient factors or extensive surgical work. |
23 | Unusual anesthesia | Use when medically necessary, unplanned general anesthesia is required for a procedure normally done under regional or local anesthesia. |
50 | Bilateral procedure | Use if identical phleborrhaphy procedures are performed on bilateral upper extremities in the same operative session. |
52 | Reduced services | Use when the procedure is partially reduced or not completed as planned for clinical reasons. |
53 | Discontinued procedure | Use when the procedure is terminated after initiation for patient safety or intraoperative complication. |
54 | Surgical Care Only | Use when billing anesthesia is split and the surgeon bills only surgical care while another anesthetist bills anesthesia services. |
55 | Postoperative management only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only postoperative pain management and not intraoperative anesthesia. |
56 | Preoperative management only | Use when the anesthesiologist provides only preoperative evaluation and not intraoperative care. |
62 | Two surgeons | Use when two surgeons are required due to complexity of venous reconstruction or simultaneous procedures on the same extremity. |
78 | Return to OR for related procedure | Use when patient returns to the operating room for a complication related to the initial phleborrhaphy. |
AA | Anesthesia by anesthesiologist | Use to identify service personally performed by an anesthesiologist. |
AD | Medical supervision by anesthesiologist | Use when the anesthesiologist supervises a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) during the case. |
QK | Medical direction of two or three CRNAs | Use when the physician medically directs multiple CRNAs during the case. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 208D00000X | Vascular Surgery | Primary surgical specialty performing phleborrhaphy and venous repairs of the forearm/hand. |
| 207L00000X | Hand Surgery/Orthopedic Surgery | May perform venous repairs in complex hand/wrist procedures. |
| 207P00000X | General Surgery | Performs superficial venous procedures in outpatient settings. |
| 2084P0800X | Anesthesiology | Provider specialty who performs and documents anesthesia services for 01852. |
| 208M00000X | Pain Management/Anesthesiology Subspecialty | Provides regional blocks or complex perioperative analgesia when indicated. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Data not available in the input. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
01852 | Anesthesia for phleborrhaphy (suturing veins of forearm, wrist, and hand) | Primary anesthesia code describing services for the procedure. |
36468 | Endovenous ablation therapy (laser or radiofrequency) of superficial veins (percutaneous), upper extremity | May be performed before or instead of phleborrhaphy for symptomatic superficial venous disease. |
49505 | Repair of recurrent inguinal hernia, open; reducible | Data not available in the input. |
12001 | Simple repair of superficial wounds of face, ears, eyelids, nose, lips; 2.5 cm or less | May be used for small superficial skin repairs associated with vein exposure or incisions on the hand/forearm when performed by the surgeon. |
76937 | Ultrasound guidance for vascular access and peripheral nerve blocks | Used for ultrasound-guided regional blocks or vein localization during the procedure when applicable. |