Summary & Overview
CPT 32151: Thoracotomy for Removal of Pulmonary Foreign Body
CPT code 32151 denotes a thoracotomy performed specifically to remove a foreign body from the lung. As an operative thoracic procedure, it represents a high-acuity surgical intervention typically delivered in the inpatient operating room setting. This code matters nationally because it captures resource-intensive care, surgical risk considerations, and important cost and utilization implications for hospitals and payers when airway or pulmonary foreign bodies cannot be removed endoscopically.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find clinical context about the procedure, where it is typically performed, and how it is coded. The publication summarizes benchmarking and reimbursement considerations, common modifier usage, and related clinical documentation elements needed to support billing. It also highlights implications for utilization management and surgical case mix reporting.
This coverage is intended for administrators, coding professionals, and clinicians seeking a concise reference on the clinical intent and billing context for CPT code 32151. Data not available in the input for payer-specific rates or utilization tables is noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 32151 describes a thoracotomy performed to remove a foreign body from the lung. The procedure involves a surgical incision into the chest wall to access pulmonary structures for extraction of an aspirated or lodged object.
Service Type: Surgical — Thoracic Surgery
Typical Site of Service: Inpatient hospital or operating room
Data not available in the input for payers, associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult who presents with an acute respiratory complaint after aspiration or traumatic inhalation of a large foreign body into the bronchial tree that cannot be retrieved by bronchoscopy. The patient may have worsening dyspnea, hemoptysis, localized chest pain, or recurrent pneumonia in the affected lung. Imaging (chest radiograph and chest CT) demonstrates a radiopaque or radiolucent foreign body lodged in a lobar or segmental bronchus or embedded in lung parenchyma with associated consolidation or abscess.
Preoperative workflow includes airway evaluation, pulmonary and anesthetic assessment, informed consent for thoracotomy and potential lung resection, and perioperative antibiotics. In the operating room under general anesthesia with single-lung ventilation, the thoracic surgeon performs a thoracotomy to access the hemithorax, identify and remove the foreign body, control bleeding, and repair or resect damaged lung tissue if required. Specimens are sent to pathology if tissue is removed. Postoperative care occurs in a monitored setting with chest tube management, pain control, respiratory therapy, and imaging to confirm lung re-expansion prior to discharge or transfer to inpatient care.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services | When the thoracotomy required substantially greater effort, time, or technical difficulty than typical for foreign body removal. |