Found in many toys, button batteries pose a serious hazard if swallowed. They not only risk obstructing the airways, but also damage the stomach lining. And this, even before the appearance of the first symptoms.
They are so small that you would think they were harmless. And yet, these small batteries, called “button cells”, present in many children’s toys and books, can be very dangerous if ingested. According to the National Health Security Agency, the ingestion of button batteries is the cause of 1,200 emergency room visits each year, which mainly concern children aged 0 to 5 years.
In question: the risk of false route and obstruction of the respiratory tract but also of intoxication. Indeed, these small batteries contain very toxic substances which can be released into the esophagus and cause potentially fatal lesions in the stomach wall within a few hours, even in the absence of symptoms.
This is the conclusion reached by American researchers. During Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in San Diego, California, researchers from pediatric hospitals in Colorado, Florida, Texas and Ohio warned doctors against the devastation that these button batteries can cause in the stomach even before the appearance of the first clinical symptoms.
“Piles in the stomach cause damage, including perforation of the stomach wall, so doctors should consider removing the piles as soon as possible and not letting them pass through the digestive tract,” advised Racha Khalaf, lead author of this work and researcher at the Digestive Health Institute of Children’s Hospital Colorado.
“We are seeing more and more injuries from button batteries,” Dr. Khalaf continued. “Batteries come in toys, remote controls, keychains, singing greeting cards and watches. They’re everywhere.”
Damage to the stomach lining
To measure how dangerous button batteries are to the stomach wall, researchers collected data on the ingestion of 68 button batteries between January 2014 and May 2018. esophagus, but until now little was known about the effect of these piles in the stomach.
Result: erosive lesions of the stomach lining were observed in 60% of the cases examined, with no apparent link between the damage and the symptoms, or with the time elapsed since ingestion.
For the researchers, these results suggest that doctors or parents should not wait for the appearance of the first symptoms to act. Dr. Khalaf added that removing the battery sooner avoids repeat visits to the emergency room or pediatrician’s office and reduces repetitive X-rays or other imaging tests.
Previous work had shown that there is also a risk of perforation of the esophagus in the event of ingestion of a button battery. Indeed, the batteries are responsible for local electrolysis which destroys the internal membrane of the esophagus, the mucous membrane, which can lead to perforation and numerous extremely serious complications (infection, fistulas, etc.).
What to do in case of ingestion of button battery?
In case of ingestion by a child or an adult, it is recommended not to try to make him vomit and not to give him anything to eat or drink. The ingestion of a button battery is an absolute emergency: the persons in charge of the child must imperatively call a poison control center or dial 15 as soon as possible.
The pile should be located as soon as possible by radiography of the chest and abdomen. A battery stuck in the esophagus must be removed without delay.
In all cases, even if the battery has been removed or eliminated spontaneously, a doctor should be consulted if the following symptoms occur in the days or weeks following ingestion of a battery: refusal to eat, vomiting , abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing, black stools.
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