Summary & Overview
CPT 33933: Donor Heart and Lung Preparation for Transplantation
CPT code 33933 represents the surgical preparation of a donor heart and lungs received in cold preservation solution for transplantation into a recipient. The code covers intraoperative inspection and repair of cardiac vessels, removal of blood clots, excision of pericardial tissue from the lungs, and trimming of the trachea to the necessary length. This procedure is a critical step in multiorgan thoracic transplantation workflows and has implications for operating room resource use, surgical team coordination, and post-transplant outcomes nationally.
Key payers addressed in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise explanation of the clinical actions captured by the code, typical sites of service, and which payer policies commonly affect coverage and documentation requirements. The publication also summarizes benchmarks and coding guidance relevant to transplant centers, highlights common billing modifiers associated with complex surgical services, and outlines areas where policy updates or payer-specific edits frequently occur.
This executive summary is intended for hospital coding staff, transplant surgeons, revenue cycle managers, and policy analysts seeking a national-level briefing on the role and billing context of CPT code 33933. Data not available in the input for specific associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 33933 describes the preparation of a donor heart and lungs received in a cold solution for transplantation into a recipient. The provider inspects the donor heart, repairs or sutures blood vessels as needed, removes blood clots, and prepares the lungs by removing pericardial tissue found on them. The procedure also includes excising the trachea to the required length.
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Service type: Donor organ preparation for heart and lung transplantation
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Typical site of service: Operating room or transplant surgical suite
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 45-year-old male is scheduled to receive a heart-lung block transplant after acceptance of a deceased donor organ procured at a distant hospital. The recipient is in the operating room under general anesthesia. The transplant surgeon receives the donor heart and lungs preserved in cold solution and performs a back-table preparation: inspects the donor heart, excises or repairs donor blood vessel cuffs, removes thrombi, examines the lungs and removes adherent pericardial tissue, and trims the donor trachea to the appropriate length for anastomosis. The surgical team coordinates organ ischemic time monitoring, crossmatch/culture confirmation, and communication with the procurement coordinator. Documentation includes donor organ condition, specific vessel repairs or excisions performed, any unexpected findings (clots, contamination), the length of the donor trachea resected, and time out/ischemia intervals. Typical site of service is an inpatient operating room in a tertiary care transplant center. Service type: surgical transplant procedure - donor organ preparation (back-table) for heart and lung transplant.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00 | (Placeholder CMS) | Data not available in the input. |
22 |