Summary & Overview
CPT 35371: Common Femoral Artery Thrombectomy/Endarterectomy
CPT code 35371 denotes surgical removal of thrombus and plaque from the common femoral artery to restore arterial blood flow. This vascular procedure is clinically important for treating acute or chronic limb ischemia and preventing progression to tissue loss or systemic complications. Nationally, procedures on major lower-extremity arteries carry implications for hospital resources, specialty surgical capacity, and payer coverage policies.
Key payers referenced include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of clinical context for the procedure, typical sites of service, and payer coverage considerations. The publication summarizes common modifiers used with this type of surgical code and outlines how reimbursement and billing practices commonly apply across major payers.
The report also provides benchmarking information where available, policy and coverage notes affecting payment and prior authorization, and billing practice considerations specific to vascular surgical service lines. Data not available in the input are noted where applicable. This resource is intended to inform billing staff, revenue cycle managers, and clinical leaders about the use and administrative handling of CPT code 35371 in a national context.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 35371 describes a procedure in which the provider removes thrombus and plaques from a common femoral artery. This is a surgical revascularization procedure targeting arterial obstruction to restore blood flow in the femoral artery.
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Service type: Vascular surgical thrombectomy/endarterectomy
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Typical site of service: Hospital operating room or procedural suite, often associated with inpatient or outpatient vascular surgery settings
Data not available in the input for associated taxonomies, ICD-10 diagnoses, and related codes.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a 68-year-old male with progressive left lower extremity rest pain, coolness, and diminished distal pulses. Noninvasive testing (arterial duplex and ankle-brachial index) shows an occlusive lesion at the left common femoral artery with substantial thrombus and atherosclerotic plaque burden. The vascular surgeon schedules an open common femoral thrombectomy/endarterectomy under regional or general anesthesia in an operating room or hybrid vascular suite. The workflow includes preoperative evaluation and consent, antibiotic prophylaxis, regional or general anesthesia, exposure of the common femoral artery, arterial control with proximal and distal clamps, arteriotomy, removal of thrombus and plaques (CPT 35371), possible patch angioplasty or vessel repair, hemostasis, and wound closure. Postoperative care includes limb vascular assessments, pulse checks, monitoring for bleeding or hematoma, and anticoagulation management as indicated. Typical site of service is an inpatient or outpatient hospital operating room or a hospital-based ambulatory surgery center (ASC). Service type: surgical arterial thrombectomy/endarterectomy of the common femoral artery.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
26 | Professional component | Use when reporting only the physician’s professional component when separate technical component exists (rare for this open surgical code). |