O76 Abnormality in fetal heart rate and rhythm complicating labor and delivery

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026.

Applicable to

• Depressed fetal heart rate tones complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal bradycardia complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal heart rate decelerations complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal heart rate irregularity complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal heart rate abnormal variability complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal tachycardia complicating labor and delivery
• Non-reassuring fetal heart rate or rhythm complicating labor and delivery

Excludes1 (never code together)

• fetal stress NOS (O77.9)
• labor and delivery complicated by electrocardiographic evidence of fetal stress (O77.8)
• labor and delivery complicated by ultrasonic evidence of fetal stress (O77.8)

Excludes2 (not included here)

• fetal metabolic acidemia (O68)
• other fetal stress (O77.0-O77.1)

Applies from O76 Abnormality in fetal heart rate and rhythm complicating labor and delivery

Applicable to

• Depressed fetal heart rate tones complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal bradycardia complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal heart rate decelerations complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal heart rate irregularity complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal heart rate abnormal variability complicating labor and delivery
• Fetal tachycardia complicating labor and delivery
• Non-reassuring fetal heart rate or rhythm complicating labor and delivery

Excludes1 (never code together)

• fetal stress NOS (O77.9)
• labor and delivery complicated by electrocardiographic evidence of fetal stress (O77.8)
• labor and delivery complicated by ultrasonic evidence of fetal stress (O77.8)

Excludes2 (not included here)

• fetal metabolic acidemia (O68)
• other fetal stress (O77.0-O77.1)

MS-DRG index

Defines the logic of DRG(s) 998 in MDC 14.

Approximate ICD-9-CM (GEMs)

• 659.71 Abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm, delivered, with or without mention of antepartum condition (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 O76

Back-references to O76

• Type 2 Excludes: O68 Labor and delivery complicated by abnormality of fetal acid-base balance ("abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)")
• Type 1 Excludes: O77.8 Labor and delivery complicated by other evidence of fetal stress ("abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)")
• Type 1 Excludes: O77.9 Labor and delivery complicated by fetal stress, unspecified ("abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)")

Back-references to O76

• Type 2 Excludes: O68 Labor and delivery complicated by abnormality of fetal acid-base balance ("abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)")
• Type 1 Excludes: O77.8 Labor and delivery complicated by other evidence of fetal stress ("abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)")
• Type 1 Excludes: O77.9 Labor and delivery complicated by fetal stress, unspecified ("abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)")

Diagnosis Index entries for O76

• Delivery (childbirth) (labor) › complicated › by › depressed fetal heart tones
• Delivery (childbirth) (labor) › complicated › by › fetal › heart rate or rhythm (abnormal) (non-reassuring)

Nearby codes

• O76 Abnormality in fetal heart rate and rhythm complicating labor and delivery (this code)