O76Billable, valid for claims from October 1, 2026

Abnormality in fetal heart rate and rhythm complicating labor and delivery

In Complications of labor and delivery (O60-O77), chapter 15: Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium

  • O76 is billable and valid on claims for FY 2027. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under O60-O77 below.
  • As a secondary diagnosis it is not a CC or MCC, so it doesn't raise the MS-DRG payment.
  • Doesn't count toward a Medicare Advantage risk score (no HCC in V28).
  • AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as not chronic (an acute or short-term condition).
  • Expected only on maternity records. (Maternity list)

Also indexed as: Delivery, complicated, by, depressed fetal heart tones; Delivery, complicated, by, fetal, heart rate or rhythm

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Instructional notes

Includes: conditions that are coded here

  • 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: not coded here, use a different code

  • 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, code separately if applicable

Official coding guidelines

From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.

Coding of obstetric cases with O00-O9A codes: sequencing priority, trimester and fetus characters, principal diagnosis selection, delivery outcome, and pregnancy-related complications.

Read Section I.C.15 (page 63), 11 more topics

O76 MS-DRGs

This code does not group to an MS-DRG as a principal diagnosis.

Related conditions

Grouped by AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR), which sorts every diagnosis code into clinically meaningful categories.

O76 is in Complications specified during childbirth (PRG023, its default category), with 111 codes. Others in it:

  • A34 Obstetrical tetanus
  • O10.02 Pre-existing essential hypertension complicating childbirth
  • O10.12 Pre-existing hypertensive heart disease complicating childbirth
  • O10.22 Pre-existing hypertensive chronic kidney disease complicating childbirth
  • O10.32 Pre-existing hypertensive heart and chronic kidney disease complicating childbirth
  • O10.42 Pre-existing secondary hypertension complicating childbirth
  • O10.92 Unspecified pre-existing hypertension complicating childbirth
  • O11.4 Pre-existing hypertension with pre-eclampsia, complicating childbirth

Other codes that refer to O76

Notes on these codes point to O76.

  • O68 Excludes2: abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)
  • O77.8 Excludes1: abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)
  • O77.9 Excludes1: abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm (O76)

About the condition

Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.

Childbirth Problems

Childbirth is the process of giving birth to a baby. It includes labor and delivery. Usually everything goes well, but problems can happen. They may cause a risk to the mother, baby, or both. Some of the more common childbirth problems include:

Read more about childbirth problems on MedlinePlus

Code history

Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. No changes since.

ICD-9-CM equivalent

Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).

  • 659.71 Abnormality in fetal heart rate or rhythm, delivered, with or without mention of antepartum condition (approximate)
ICD-9 to ICD-10 converter