R68.13CurrentBillable / specific

Apparent life threatening event in infant (ALTE)

Code-level instructions

Code first

confirmed diagnosis, if known

Use additional code

code(s) for associated signs and symptoms if no confirmed diagnosis established, or if signs and symptoms are not associated routinely with confirmed diagnosis, or provide additional information for cause of ALTE

R68.1 · Inherited instructions

Excludes 1

colic, infantile (R10.83)
neonatal cerebral irritability (P91.3)
teething syndrome (K00.7)

Excludes 2 · 4

Chapters 18 · Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)

Excludes 2

abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Claims & coverage

Coverage depends on the payer, service and applicable policy. A billable code does not guarantee payment.

When ICD-10-CM is required

For US diagnosis claims covered by HIPAA, ICD-10-CM is required from October 1, 2015.

Use the service date for outpatient/professional claims and the discharge date for hospital inpatient claims. Earlier encounters use ICD-9-CM; each individual code must also be valid for the applicable date.

Official coding guidelines → · CMS ↗

MS-DRG · 43.1 · 951

Grouping depends on the complete encounter and CMS grouper logic.

951 · Other Factors Influencing Health Status

2026-04-01 – 2026-09-30

CMS · MS-DRG 43.1

Check Medicare coverage ↗

First observed · 2015-10-01

Code history

Latest recorded change · FY2018

ChangedUnchanged

FY2018

Effective from 2017-10-01

Code-level rules changed

Apparent life threatening event in infant (ALTE)

Billable diagnosis code

CDC/NCHS · FY2018

All editions (19)

All editions	Effective from	Code history
FY2016	2015-10-01	First observed
FY2017	2016-10-01	No tabular change
FY2018	2017-10-01	Code-level rules changed
FY2019	2018-10-01	No tabular change
FY2020	2019-10-01	No tabular change
FY2020 · April	2020-04-01	No tabular change
FY2021	2020-10-01	No tabular change
FY2021 · 01-01	2021-01-01	No tabular change
FY2022	2021-10-01	No tabular change
FY2022 · 04-01	2022-04-01	No tabular change
FY2023	2022-10-01	No tabular change
FY2023 · 04-01	2023-04-01	No tabular change
FY2024	2023-10-01	No tabular change
FY2024 · 04-01	2024-04-01	No tabular change
FY2025	2024-10-01	No tabular change
FY2025 · 04-01	2025-04-01	No tabular change
FY2026	2025-10-01	No tabular change
FY2026 · April	2026-04-01	No tabular change
FY2027	2026-10-01	No tabular change

Historical ICD-9 mappings · 2018

Historical mapping only; not an automatic code substitution.

799.82

CDC/NCHS · GEM 2018

Code-level instructions

Includes

Apparent life threatening event in newborn
Brief resolved unexplained event (BRUE)

Code first

confirmed diagnosis, if known

Use additional code

Inherited instructions

Chapters 18 · Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)

Excludes 2

abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Note

This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
(a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
(b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
(c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
(d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
(e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
(f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.

R68.1 · Nonspecific symptoms peculiar to infancy

Excludes 1

colic, infantile (R10.83)
neonatal cerebral irritability (P91.3)
teething syndrome (K00.7)

Official index references (5)

ALTE(apparent life threatening event) in newborn and infant (1)

ALTE(apparent life threatening event) in newborn and infantDisease index

BRUE(brief resolved unexplained event) (1)

BRUE(brief resolved unexplained event)Disease index

Event (2)

Event › apparent life threatening in newborn and infant(ALTE)Disease index
Event › brief resolved unexplained event(BRUE)Disease index

Newborn(infant) (liveborn) (singleton) (1)

Newborn(infant) (liveborn) (singleton) › affected by › apparent life threatening event(ALTE)Disease index

Related codes

Other entries in the same category; these are not automatic substitutes.

Code	Description	Category · further specificity required
R68.11	Excessive crying of infant (baby)	Billable / specific
R68.12	Fussy infant (baby)	Billable / specific
R68.19	Other nonspecific symptoms peculiar to infancy	Billable / specific

Official titles and instructions are preserved in their source language. Official sources ↗

Claims & coverage

Coverage depends on the payer, service and applicable policy. A billable code does not guarantee payment.

When ICD-10-CM is required

For US diagnosis claims covered by HIPAA, ICD-10-CM is required from October 1, 2015.

Official coding guidelines → · CMS ↗

MS-DRG · 43.1 · 951

Grouping depends on the complete encounter and CMS grouper logic.

951 · Other Factors Influencing Health Status

2026-04-01 – 2026-09-30

CMS · MS-DRG 43.1

Check Medicare coverage ↗

All editions

Effective from

Code history

FY2016

2015-10-01

First observed

FY2017

2016-10-01

No tabular change

FY2018

2017-10-01

Code-level rules changed

FY2019

2018-10-01

No tabular change

FY2020

2019-10-01

No tabular change

FY2020 · April

2020-04-01

No tabular change

FY2021

2020-10-01

No tabular change

FY2021 · 01-01

2021-01-01

No tabular change

FY2022

2021-10-01

No tabular change

FY2022 · 04-01

2022-04-01

No tabular change

FY2023

2022-10-01

No tabular change

FY2023 · 04-01

2023-04-01

No tabular change

FY2024

2023-10-01

No tabular change

FY2024 · 04-01

2024-04-01

No tabular change

FY2025

2024-10-01

No tabular change

FY2025 · 04-01

2025-04-01

No tabular change

FY2026

2025-10-01

No tabular change

FY2026 · April

2026-04-01

No tabular change

FY2027

2026-10-01

No tabular change

Chapters 18 · Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)

Excludes 2

abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Note

This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
(a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
(b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
(c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
(d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
(e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
(f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.