Has your child swallowed a button battery? There reaction speed is essential because even in case of doubt, the ingestion of a button battery constitutes an emergency, recalls the High Authority for Health on January 16, 2022.
Button or flat batteries are ubiquitous in our daily lives : watches, keys, remote controls, children’s toys, calculators, car keys, etc. When ingested, they present a potentially fatal risk due to their toxicity, mainly linked to the production of very alkaline hydroxide ions which can cause very deep chemical burns. Children, especially the youngest, are most at risk.
And ingestions are becoming more frequent, according to health authorities. Between June 2016 and June 2018, 3 children in France died after swallowing a button battery.
Quickly call the SAMU in case of ingestion
“When a button battery is ingested, it can become blocked in the esophagus and cause a local burn, the severity of which increases significantly beyond the second hour, underlines the HAS, which publishes on February 22, 2022 recommendations established with the company ofe Clinical Toxicology. Acting quickly is therefore essential. The risk is increased if the battery has a diameter greater than or equal to 15 mm and when the child is 5 years old or less.
Every minute counts : do not waste time in front of the ingestion of a button battery, whether the ingestion is proven or simply supposed. In this case, it is recommended to leave the child on an empty stomach without trying to make him vomit and tocall 15 or a poison control centerin order to immediately trigger the assessment and appropriate care of the child.
Once the child has arrived in the emergency room or in a doctor’s office, care without downtime and coordinated must begin, adds the HAS, which has also published recommendations intended for health professionals. In particular, it is indicated that a chest X-ray should be performed to confirm the ingestion of a battery and to determine its location. And because “a battery blocked in the esophagus is a life-threatening emergency”, an upper digestive endoscopy must then be performed without delay to avoid serious complications, “such as severe esophageal burns, the risk of which is increased beyond 2 hours”.
Store batteries out of the reach of children
The instructions for parents are clear: keep batteries out of reach of children, and above all check that the battery compartment is properly closed in children’s toys – with a screw or a locking device.
Source :
What to do when a child has ingested a button battery? Recommendations of the High Authority for Health (HAS) and the Society of Clinical Toxicology (STC), February 16, 2022.
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