S44.18 ICD-10-CA code: Other and unspecified injury of median nerve at upper arm level
S44.18 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Other and unspecified injury of median nerve at upper arm level” in CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026.
Official description
S44.18Other and unspecified injury of median nerve at upper arm level
Short description: Oth unspec inj median nrv at upp arm lvl
ICD-10-CA · Canada · Also written S4418
Notes for S44.18
As CIHI prints them, with any note S44.18 takes from the headings above it.
Includes
- Injuries of:• axilla• scapular regionFrom S40-S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm
Excludes
Conditions classified elsewhere.
- Median nerve NOS (S54.1)From S44.1 Injury of median nerve at upper arm level
- Injury of brachial plexus (S14.3)From S44 Injury of nerves at shoulder and upper arm level
- Bilateral involvement of shoulder and upper arm (T00-T07)burns and corrosions (T20-T32)frostbite (T33-T35)injuries of:• arm, level unspecified (T10-T11)• elbow (S50-S59)insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)From S40-S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm
- Birth trauma (P10-P15)obstetric trauma (O70-O71)From Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)
Note
- The chapter uses the S-section for coding different types of injuries related to single body regions and the T-section to cover injuries to multiple or unspecified body regions as well as poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.Where multiple sites of injury are specified in the titles, the word "with" indicates involvement of both sites, and the word "and" indicates involvement of either or both sites.The principle of multiple coding of injuries should be followed wherever possible.Combination categories for multiple injuries is provided for use when there are insufficient detail as to the nature of the individual conditions, or for primary tabulation purposes when it is more convenient to record single code; otherwise, the component injuries should be coded separately.Reference should also be made to the coding rules and guidelines.The blocks of the S-section as well as (T00-T14 and T90-T98) contain injuries at the three-character level classified by type as follows:Superficial injury including:abrasionblister (nonthermal)contusion, including bruise and haematomainjury from superficial foreign body (splinter) without major open woundinsect bite (nonvenomous)Open wound including:animal bitecutlacerationpuncture wound:• NOS• with (penetrating) foreign bodyFracture including:Fracture:closed: comminuted, depressed, elevated, fissured, greenstick, impacted, linear, simple, slipped epiphysis, spiral — with or without delayed healingdislocateddisplacedFracture:open: compound, infected, missile, puncture, with foreign body — with or without delayed healingExcludes:malunion of fracture (M84.0)nonunion of fracture [pseudoarthrosis] (M84.1)pathological fracture (M84.4):• with osteoporosis (M80.-)stress fracture (M84.3)Dislocation, sprain and strain including:avulsion, laceration, sprain, strain, traumatic: haemarthosis, rupture, subluxation, tear of cartilage, joint (capsule), ligamentInjury to nerves and spinal cord including:complete or incomplete lesion of spinal cordlesion incontinuity of nerves and spinal cordtraumatic:• division of nerve• haematomyelia• paralysis (transient)• paraplegia• quadriplegiaInjury to blood vessels includingavulsion, cut, laceration, traumatic: aneurysm or fistula (arteriovenous), arterial haematoma, rupture of blood vesselsInjury of muscle, fascia and tendon including:avulsion, cut, laceration, strain, traumatic rupture of muscle, fascia and tendonCrushing InjuryTraumatic amputationInjury to internal organs including:blast injuries, bruise, concussion injuries, crushing, laceration, traumatic: haematoma, puncture, rupture, tear of internal organsOther and unspecified injuriesFrom Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)
Where S44.18 sits
- 1ChapterChapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98)
- 2Block S40-S49Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm
- 3Category S44Injury of nerves at shoulder and upper arm level
- 4Subcategory S44.1Injury of median nerve at upper arm level
- 5Valid code S44.18Other and unspecified injury of median nerve at upper arm level
Source and release
- Data release
- ICD-10-CA · FY 2026–2027
- Effective date
- Apr 1, 2026
- Publisher
- CIHI
This page is built from the ICD-10-CA catalog that Vero Codes reads when it suggests codes: Canadian Institute for Health Information’s FY 2026–2027 release, imported from the publisher’s file and checked against it. The description, notes and structured data come from the same record.
Frequently asked questions
What does ICD-10-CA code S44.18 mean?
S44.18 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Other and unspecified injury of median nerve at upper arm level” in CIHI’s ICD-10-CA FY 2026–2027 release.
Where is S44.18 in ICD-10-CA?
S44.18 sits under S44.1 Injury of median nerve at upper arm level, within S44 Injury of nerves at shoulder and upper arm level, within S40-S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm, within Chapter 19: Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98).
What coding notes apply to S44.18?
ICD-10-CA lists Excludes, Includes, Note notes for S44.18, including those from the headings it sits under. They are listed on this page with where each one comes from.
Which ICD-10-CA release does this page use?
It uses CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027. It is a reference: confirm the code against the current list and the payer’s rules before you submit it.