O71.4 Obstetric high vaginal laceration alone

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026. Acts as a Complication or Comorbidity (CC) as a secondary diagnosis.

Applicable to

• Laceration of vaginal wall without perineal laceration

Excludes1 (never code together)

• obstetric high vaginal laceration with perineal laceration (O70.-)

Applies from O71 Other obstetric trauma

Includes

• obstetric damage from instruments

MS-DRG index

Defines the logic of DRG(s) 769 in MDC 14.

Approximate ICD-9-CM (GEMs)

• 665.41 High vaginal laceration, delivered, with or without mention of antepartum condition (approximate)
• 665.44 High vaginal laceration, postpartum condition or complication (approximate)

Medicare Code Edits (MCE v43.1 (April 2026))

• Maternity diagnoses (age 9 through 64): Age conflict edit. These diagnoses are clinically expected only in patients age 9 through 64.

Code annotations containing back-references to O71.4

Back-references to O71.4

• Type 1 Excludes: N89.8 Other specified noninflammatory disorders of vagina ("current obstetric trauma (O70.-, O71.4, O71.7-O71.8)")
• Type 1 Excludes: O70 Perineal laceration during delivery ("obstetric high vaginal laceration alone (O71.4)")
• Type 1 Excludes: S31.4 Open wound of vagina and vulva ("injury to vagina and vulva during delivery (O70.-, O71.4)")

Back-references to O71

• Type 1 Excludes: S37 Injury of urinary and pelvic organs ("obstetric trauma to pelvic organs (O71.-)")
• Type 1 Excludes: S37.6 Injury of uterus ("injury to uterus during delivery (O71.-)")

Diagnosis Index entries for O71.4

• Delivery (childbirth) (labor) › complicated › by › laceration (perineal) › rectovaginal (septum) (without perineal laceration)
• Delivery (childbirth) (labor) › complicated › by › laceration (perineal) › vagina, vaginal (deep) (high) (without perineal laceration)
• Injury › instrumental (during surgery) › obstetrical › high vaginal
• Laceration › vagina › during delivery
• Perforation, perforated (nontraumatic) (of) › vagina › obstetrical trauma

Nearby codes

• O71.02 Rupture of uterus before onset of labor, second trimester
• O71.03 Rupture of uterus before onset of labor, third trimester
• O71.1 Rupture of uterus during labor
• O71.2 Postpartum inversion of uterus
• O71.3 Obstetric laceration of cervix
• O71.4 Obstetric high vaginal laceration alone (this code)
• O71.5 Other obstetric injury to pelvic organs
• O71.6 Obstetric damage to pelvic joints and ligaments
• O71.7 Obstetric hematoma of pelvis
• O71.8 Other specified obstetric trauma
• O71.81 Laceration of uterus, not elsewhere classified