Z18

ICD-10Non-billable category

Retained foreign body fragments

Official ICD-10-CM descriptor (FY2026)

Retained foreign body fragments

Z18 is a category heading, not a billable code. CMS does not accept it on a claim; report one of the more specific codes beneath it.

Includes

embedded fragment (status)
embedded splinter (status)
retained foreign body status

Excludes1

Not coded here. An Excludes1 code should never be reported at the same time as the code above it.

artificial joint prosthesis status (Z96.6-)
foreign body accidentally left during a procedure (T81.5-)
foreign body entering through orifice (T15-T19)
in situ cardiac device (Z95.-)
organ or tissue replaced by means other than transplant (Z96.-, Z97.-)
organ or tissue replaced by transplant (Z94.-)
personal history of retained foreign body fully removed Z87.821
superficial foreign body (non-embedded splinter) - code to superficial foreign body, by site

More specific codes under Z18

Where this code sits

Chapter: 21. Factors influencing health status and contact with health services (Z00-Z99)
Block: Retained foreign body fragments (Z18)

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Source

ICD-10-CM FY2026. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) / National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), “2026 ICD-10-CM Code Descriptions in Tabular Order” (icd10cm_order_2026.txt). Download the original file from cms.gov. Public domain (US Government work). Descriptors, billable flags and instructional notes on this page are reproduced from that file without modification. Krasyn adds no clinical guidance.