S68.117A Complete traumatic metacarpophalangeal amputation of left little finger, initial encounter

ICD-10-CM S68.117A: Complete traumatic metacarpophalangeal amputation of left little finger, initial encounter

ICD-10-CM code S68.117A identifies an initial encounter for complete traumatic amputation of the left little finger at the metacarpophalangeal joint. Traumatic amputations involve the severance of a body part due to accidents or injuries. The sources establish clinical factors surrounding traumatic finger amputations and list this specific diagnosis code among traumatic hand and finger amputation injuries. 3 4

Plain-language overview

Traumatic amputation refers to the loss of a body part, such as a finger, that happens because of an accident or injury, and complete amputation means the body part is totally severed. 3

What this code represents

Code S68.117A represents a complete traumatic metacarpophalangeal amputation of the left little finger during an initial encounter, distinguishing it from partial amputations or subsequent encounters. 4

Coding details

The code S68.117A is listed within the S68 category for traumatic amputation of the wrist, hand, and fingers, alongside distinct codes for partial amputations and injuries to other specific digits. 4

Clinical context

Digital amputation is often associated with traumatic injuries, and factors such as the time from injury, mechanism of injury, and degree of contamination are considered in traumatic finger amputation management. 2

Traumatic amputations usually result from factory, farm, power tool accidents, or motor vehicle accidents, and the severed part sometimes can be reattached. 3

Documentation considerations

Clinical documentation for traumatic digit amputation at the proximal phalanx notes whether the injury was open and not replantable, and may record details regarding the mechanism of injury and affected digits. 1

What the sources add

While the MedlinePlus source defines traumatic amputation generally as the loss of a body part from an accident, the Unbound Medicine source provides the specific ICD-10-CM code S68.117A for the left little finger. 3 4

The Bookshelf source explains that finger amputations involve evaluating injury mechanisms and contamination, whereas the Unbound Medicine source categorizes the specific diagnosis code within a broader tree of hand and finger amputations. 2 4

Questions to verify

The supplied excerpts do not establish whether code S68.117A guarantees payer coverage or what specific documentation elements are required for billing this particular initial encounter. 4

Sources

1. Flexor Digitorum Superficialis Tenodesis for Traumatic Digit Amputation at the Level of the Proximal Phalanx — pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
2. Bookshelf — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
3. Traumatic amputation: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia — medlineplus.gov; accessed 2026-07-25.
4. ICD-10-CM 2024 | S68 - Traumatic amputation of wrist, hand and fingers — unboundmedicine.com; accessed 2026-07-25.