S61.4 Open wound of hand

ICD-10-CM S61.4: Open wound of hand

ICD-10-CM code S61.4 represents an open wound of the hand. It belongs to a broader category of open wounds affecting the wrist, hand, and fingers. Clinical evaluation of these injuries involves examining the wound base in a well-lit field to identify foreign material, arterial injury, or open fractures. While bacterial colonization occurs in all open wounds, clinical infection is diagnosed by specific signs like erythema and purulence. 4 6 1 2

What this code represents

ICD-10-CM code S61.4 designates an open wound of the hand, existing within the S61 category for open wounds of the wrist, hand, and fingers under the S60-S69 injury block. 4 6

Coding details

Code S61.4 expands into more specific child codes that specify laterality, such as right hand or left hand, and encounter character for initial, subsequent, or sequela. 5 6

The reference data for S61.4 lists no inclusion terms, no code first instructions, and no use additional code instructions. 6

Plain-language overview

An open wound of the hand requires examining the injury base in a brightly lit, bloodless field to check for traumatic arthrotomy, tendon injury, arterial injury, open fracture, and foreign material. 1

Clinical context

All open wounds experience bacterial colonization, but an actual wound infection diagnosis is designated by the presence of erythema, pain, swelling, fluctuance, purulence, and loss of function. 2

Documentation considerations

Eliciting the mechanism of injury identifies extrinsic factors that increase the risk of wound complications, such as foreign body contamination, arthrotomy, tendon laceration, or open fracture. 1

Wounds that fail to heal or display persistent pain or drainage warrant consideration of a retained foreign body, indicating a need for surgical consultation for operative exploration. 1

What the sources add

Clinical literature emphasizes identifying the injury mechanism and evaluating the wound base for foreign bodies, whereas coding references establish the S61.4 category structure and its specific child codes. 1 6

Coding platforms detail specific billable child codes for right, left, and unspecified hand injuries, while clinical texts describe the physiological evaluation of wound tissue and infection indicators. 5 2

Sources

1. Bookshelf — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
2. Bookshelf — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
3. Clinical Safety: Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Workers — cdc.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
4. EVS Explore — evsexplore.semantics.cancer.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
5. ICD-10-CM 2024 | S61 - Open wound of wrist, hand and fingers — unboundmedicine.com; accessed 2026-07-25.
6. ICD-10-CM S61.4: Open wound of hand | Vero — veroscribe.com; accessed 2026-07-25.