What should be done if severe sepsis develops because of an infection not present on admission?

In the scenario where severe sepsis develops due to an infection that was not present upon admission, the correct approach involves coding the localized infection first. This decision is based on the coding guidelines which state that when a patient has a localized infection that leads to a more severe condition, such as severe sepsis, the localized infection should be identified first in the coding process.

This allows accurate representation of the clinical picture, emphasizing the underlying condition that triggered the severe sepsis. By prioritizing the localization of infection, it captures the progression of the patient’s health status and provides essential details for clinical documentation and statistical tracking. Furthermore, coding conventions often require that the causative infection is identified before the resulting severe condition to ensure appropriate treatment and resource allocation.

Other options do not align with this protocol; coding severe sepsis first may overlook the primary infection, while mentioning that both should be coded at the same level does not respect the emphasis needed on the underlying cause. Only coding for severe sepsis would neglect the important details regarding the localized infection, which is essential to understand the patient's overall health scenario.