S50.852 Superficial foreign body of left forearm

ICD-10-CM Code S50.852: Superficial foreign body of left forearm

ICD-10-CM code S50.852 identifies a superficial foreign body located in the left forearm. The code is an active diagnosis within the injury and poisoning chapter, specifically under superficial injuries of the elbow and forearm. It has no listed child codes or additional instructional notes in the referenced terminology records. 1 3

Plain-language overview

This diagnosis code denotes a situation where a superficial foreign body is located in the left forearm, classifying the event under the semantic type of injury or poisoning. 1

What this code represents

The official preferred name for S50.852 is superficial foreign body of left forearm, and the concept is classified under the semantic type of injury or poisoning. 1

Code S50.852 is a billable and specific diagnosis with no child codes, falling under the parent concept S50.85 for superficial foreign body of forearm. 1 3

Coding details

S50.852 resides in Chapter 19 for injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes, within the S50-S59 block for injuries to the elbow and forearm. 3

The April 2026 reference data indicates that S50.852 has no inclusion terms, no code first instruction, and no use additional code instruction listed. 3

Clinical context

Clinical literature notes that while large superficial foreign bodies may be found by gross inspection, imaging such as ultrasound is often required to detect small foreign bodies in soft tissue. 2

Documentation considerations

Accurate coding relies on the official terminology record, which specifies the diagnosis as a superficial foreign body of the left forearm without listing additional inclusion terms. 1 3

What the sources add

While the terminology record defines the diagnostic label and hierarchy, the clinical source adds operational context by describing ultrasound techniques used to identify and remove superficial soft tissue foreign bodies. 1 2

Comparing the two coding sources, both confirm the official label for S50.852, but the third-party reference additionally maps the complete chapter and block hierarchy for the code. 1 3

Sources

1. ICD-10-CM S50.852 terminology record — National Cancer Institute Enterprise Vocabulary Services; accessed 2026-07-27.
2. Maximizing Foreign Body Detection by Ultrasound With the Water Bath Technique Coupled With the Focal Zone Advantage: A Technical Report — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-27.
3. ICD-10-CM Code S50.852 | Vero — veroscribe.com; accessed 2026-07-27.