Summary & Overview
CPT 31750: Repair of Cervical Trachea for Open Airway Reconstruction
CPT code 31750 denotes an open surgical repair of the cervical trachea, a specialized procedure used for airway reconstruction in patients with tracheal injury, stenosis, or congenital and acquired defects. Nationally, this code captures complex airway surgery commonly performed in tertiary care and academic centers and has implications for facility-level resource use, perioperative care planning, and payer coverage policies. Key payers examined include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will learn the clinical context for CPT code 31750, typical sites of service, and what to expect from payer coverage patterns and coding practice. The publication summarizes benchmark metrics where available, highlights relevant policy considerations that influence reimbursement and authorization, and provides operational notes for billing teams and revenue cycle stakeholders. Data not available in the input is identified explicitly where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 31750 describes a repair of the cervical trachea (windpipe) performed to treat patients who require open airway reconstruction. This procedure involves surgical correction of defects, injuries, strictures, or other pathologies of the cervical trachea to restore airway patency and function.
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Service type: Open surgical airway reconstruction
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient or outpatient surgical setting, often in an operating room with airway and thoracic surgery support
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult who presents with symptomatic tracheal stenosis, traumatic tracheal injury, or a tracheal malacia defect requiring open surgical reconstruction of the cervical trachea. The patient often has progressive dyspnea, stridor, recurrent respiratory infections, or failed endoscopic management. Preoperative workup includes airway imaging (CT neck/chest), bronchoscopy to delineate lesion length and location, pulmonary function testing, and anesthesiology airway assessment. The surgical workflow includes general endotracheal anesthesia with possible jet ventilation, cervical incision and exposure of the trachea, segmental resection or tracheal repair with primary anastomosis or reconstruction using grafts or flaps, intraoperative bronchoscopic confirmation of airway patency, hemostasis, layered closure, and postoperative monitoring in a step-down or intensive care unit with humidified oxygen, analgesia, and swallowing/voice assessment as needed. Typical site of service is an inpatient hospital operating room; the service type is open airway reconstructive surgery of the cervical trachea.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier (default) | Report when no modifier applies to the service |
22 |