S51.851 Open bite of right forearm

ICD-10-CM S51.851: Open bite of right forearm

ICD-10-CM code S51.851 identifies an open bite of the right forearm and is classified under the semantic type of injury or poisoning. Public source excerpts discuss bite injuries to the hand and forearm, noting potential pathogen contamination and clinical factors like microbiological workups and surgical debridement. Sources also indicate clinical findings for bites are meticulously documented due to litigation associations. 1 2 3

What this code represents

ICD-10-CM code S51.851 represents an open bite of the right forearm and is assigned the semantic type of injury or poisoning. 3

Plain-language overview

Bite wounds may be contaminated with aggressive pathogens, and injuries to the hand are more likely to require surgical treatment than bites in other parts of the body. 1

Clinical context

A retrospective study analyzed cat bite injuries to the hand and forearm, with inclusion criteria specifying primary treatment at a medical center, a microbiological workup, and a complete dataset. 2

Data from one study do not suggest that early antibiotic administration, delayed surgical treatment, or antibiotic administration before microbiological sample collection impacts the outcome of the microbiological workup following cat bite injuries to the hand and forearm. 2

Documentation considerations

Clinical findings for bite injuries are meticulously documented, and dog bite injuries in particular are associated with litigation against animal owners and clinicians for alleged mismanagement of the injury. 1

What the sources add

Source S3 provides the specific ICD-10-CM code and label for an open bite of the right forearm, while sources S1 and S2 provide clinical research regarding bite injuries to the hand and forearm. 1 2 3

Source S1 discusses the management of mammalian bite injuries to the hand, whereas source S2 specifically examines cat bite injuries to the hand and forearm and the impact of antibiotic treatment on microbiological findings. 1 2

Questions to verify

The supplied sources do not establish whether S51.851 is a billable code, nor do they provide the full category hierarchy, encounter character extensions, or applicable external cause codes. 3

Sources

1. Mammalian Bite Injuries to the Hand and Their Management — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-26.
2. Cat bite injuries to the hand and forearm: the impact of antibiotic treatment on microbiological findings and clinical outcome — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-26.
3. EVS Explore — evsexplore.semantics.cancer.gov; accessed 2026-07-26.