Summary & Overview
CPT 33762: Aorto-Pulmonary Shunt (Potts Smith) for Cyanotic Heart Disease
CPT code 33762 represents a surgical aorto-pulmonary shunt (Potts Smith type) that connects the descending aorta to the pulmonary artery to increase pulmonary blood flow and improve oxygenation in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease. This is a specialized cardiothoracic surgical procedure most commonly performed in the inpatient operating room setting and is clinically significant because it addresses life‑threatening hypoxemia in neonates and children with complex congenital cardiac anomalies. Nationally, services of this type are concentrated in pediatric cardiac surgery centers and have implications for surgical capacity, perioperative resource use, and specialized reimbursement arrangements.
Key payers discussed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise clinical context for the procedure, payer coverage scope, and what to expect in a billing and policy review. The publication outlines benchmarks and coverage considerations, summarizes typical site-of-service and service-line implications, and highlights areas where coding and payer policy commonly impact authorization, inpatient claims processing, and postoperative care bundles. Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes are noted as unavailable in the input.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 33762 describes a surgical creation of a shunt between the descending aorta and the pulmonary artery (Potts Smith type operation). The procedure establishes a bypass channel connecting two blood vessels to divert blood flow and improve systemic oxygenation in patients with cyanosis due to insufficient pulmonary blood flow from congenital heart defects.
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Service type: Surgical cardiac shunt procedure to augment pulmonary blood flow
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Typical site of service: Inpatient hospital setting, typically performed in an operating room under cardiothoracic surgery services
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an infant or young child with cyanotic congenital heart disease and insufficient pulmonary blood flow (for example, tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia or severe pulmonary stenosis). The clinical workflow begins with initial evaluation in pediatric cardiology for hypoxemia, cyanosis, and failure to thrive. Diagnostic workup includes echocardiography, chest radiography, pulse oximetry, and often cardiac catheterization to define anatomy and hemodynamics. After multidisciplinary review, the cardiothoracic surgery team schedules a palliative systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt — surgically creating a conduit between the descending aorta and the pulmonary artery (33762) — to increase pulmonary blood flow and improve arterial oxygen saturation. The procedure is performed in an operating room or pediatric cardiac surgical suite under general anesthesia with full cardiothoracic surgical support. Postoperative care includes intensive monitoring in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, ventilatory support as needed, inotropic support, serial arterial blood gases, echocardiographic assessment of shunt patency, and staged definitive repair planning if indicated.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | No modifier / Default | Rarely appended; typically not reported as a standalone modifier but listed in raw data set |