Know the Difference between Aerosol & Gaseous Ventilation

Not sure about the difference between aerosol and gaseous ventilation? Well, read on and find out the key differences between the two. Both aerosol (78586, 78587) as well as gaseous (78591, 78593, 78594) studies are part of the ventilation code series.

The ICD-9 code depends ( source "http://www.supercoder.com/icd9-codes/")  on whether or not the internist identified a cause.

Aerosol tests include the patient inhaling nebulized (reduced to a fine spray) aerosol agents with radioactive particles. The vital term to look for indicating aerosol is DTPA, the radioactive aerosol the provider has the patient inhale. Often times you would encounter other terms such as Technetium DTPA, particulate, and mist.

Physician's note for gaseous ventilation studies normally refer to the gas used, typically Xenon gas (such as Xenon-133 or Xe 133). One more possibility is Krypton gas (Krypton-81 or Kr 81), even though you may not see this much in practice.

CPT code further differentiates gaseous ventilation studies by whether the patient takes only a single breath or for that matter she does rebreathing and washout without plain oxygen. Rebreathing is inhalation of the gas exhaled earlier. 'Rebreathing' is inhalation of the gas exhaled previously. 'Washout' is the elimination of the radioisotope from the lungs. The xenon gas exams usually consist of three phases:

1. A single breath – the patient takes a single deep inhalation

2. Rebreathing – the patient takes normal breaths while rebreathing a mix of oxygen and xenon

3. Washout -- the patient breathes room air while exhaling the xenon, clearing the lungs of the radioactive gas.