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W69 ICD-10-CA code: Drowning and submersion while in natural water

W69 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Drowning and submersion while in natural water” in CIHI’s FY 2026–2027 release, in effect from Apr 1, 2026.

Official description

W69

Drowning and submersion while in natural water

Short description: Drowning submrs in natural water

ICD-10-CA · Canada

Index terms

Entries in CIHI’s alphabetical index that lead to W69. Searching the index by the condition the note names is how coders reach this code.

  • Drowning (accidental), in, quarry
  • Drowning (accidental), in, natural water (lake) (open sea) (river) (stream)
  • Jumped, jumping, from, boat (into water) voluntarily, without accident (to boat), with injury (other than drowning or submersion), with drowning or submersion

Notes for W69

As CIHI prints them, with any note W69 takes from the headings above it.

Includes

  • Lakeopen seariverstream

Use additional code

Add a code for this detail when the note documents it.

Excludes

Conditions classified elsewhere.

Note

  • This chapter, which in previous revisions of ICD constituted a supplementary classification, permits the classification of environmental events and circumstances as the cause of injury, poisoning and other adverse effects. Where a code from this section is applicable, it is intended that it shall be used in addition to a code from another chapter of the Classification indicating the nature of the condition. Most often, the condition will be classifiable to Chapter XIX, Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T98). Causes of death should preferably be tabulated according to both Chapter XIX and Chapter XX, but if only one code is tabulated then the code from Chapter XX should be used in preference. Other conditions that may be stated to be due to external causes are classified in Chapters I to XVIII. For these conditions, codes from Chapter XX should be used to provide additional information for multiple-condition analysis only.From Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98)

Where W69 sits

  1. 1ChapterChapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98)
  2. 2Block V01-X59Accidents
  3. 3Block W00-X59Other external causes of accidental injury
  4. 4Block W65-W74Accidental drowning and submersion
  5. 5Valid code W69Drowning and submersion while in natural water

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.

See W69 in the CIHI source

Frequently asked questions

What does ICD-10-CA code W69 mean?

W69 is the ICD-10-CA code for “Drowning and submersion while in natural water” in CIHI’s ICD-10-CA FY 2026–2027 release.

Where is W69 in ICD-10-CA?

W69 sits under W65-W74 Accidental drowning and submersion, within W00-X59 Other external causes of accidental injury, within V01-X59 Accidents, within Chapter 20: External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01-Y98).

What coding notes apply to W69?

ICD-10-CA lists Includes, Use additional code, Excludes, Note notes for W69, 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.

Codes beside W69

W65Drowning and submersion while in bath-tubW66Drowning and submersion following fall into bath-tubW67Drowning and submersion while in swimming-poolW68Drowning and submersion following fall into swimming-poolW70Drowning and submersion following fall into natural waterW73Other specified drowning and submersionW74Unspecified drowning and submersion