They are found in remote controls, watches or toys for toddlers. Button batteries are dangerous for young children. In case of ingestion, it is advisable to act without delay, according to the High Authority of Health (HAS). In a recent opinion, it gives its recommendations for reacting quickly to this type of accident.
- Practical tools, which summarize all of the care and which allow it to be viewed at a glance, allow health professionals to integrate good practices and good reflexes.
- The STC and the HAS address the public authorities and advise them to set up iterative information for the general public, early childhood professionals and health professionals on the risks associated with the ingestion of a button battery. .
- The two bodies also recommend working with the manufacturers responsible for placing button batteries on the market to promote the manufacture and use of button batteries with a diameter of less than 15 mm, but also to secure devices operating with these batteries. .
They are small, shiny, flat and round. Button batteries, which are found in many everyday objects, catch the eye of young children. The latter who often put small objects in their mouths can easily swallow them. Problem: If ingested, these button batteries can be life-threatening to children, especially those 5 years of age or younger. They can become blocked in the esophagus and cause, by their electrical action in this humid environment, a local burn. That is why “in case of ingestion, it is essential to react very quickly”according to the High Authority for Health (HAS) and the Society of Clinical Toxicology (STC).
“Although this issue is not recent and public health actions have already been carried out to raise awareness among parents, there is an increase in France in cases of ingestion of large diameter batteries. However, to date, no recommendation does not precisely define the care of children who have ingested a button battery”, can we read in the opinion published by the HAS on February 16. In this press release, the two authorities give their advice to improve the care of a child who has swallowed a button battery.
React without delay in case of ingestion of a button battery or doubt
The STC and the HAS recall that every minute counts in the event of ingestion of a button battery. “We must not waste time in front of the ingestion of a button battery, whether the ingestion is proven or simply supposed”, they insist. Faced with this accident, it is recommended to leave the child on an empty stomach and not to make him vomit. The two authorities recommend calling 15 or a poison control center directly in order to trigger the assessment and appropriate care of the toddler without delay.
A chest X-ray to confirm ingestion
Once the child arrives at the emergency room or in a doctor’s office, their care of the child must be timed to avoid a life-threatening outcome. It is recommended that the toddler take a chest X-ray to confirm ingestion and to determine the location of the stuck battery in the esophagus, which is a “vital emergency”.
The STC and the HAS specify that when the battery is landlocked in this part of the digestive tract, an upper digestive endoscopy must be performed quickly because the risk of serious complications, i.e. severe esophageal burning, is increased above more than two hours. “If the pile is in the stomach, the management must be adapted to each situation, and digestive endoscopy is sometimes necessary”, specify the instances.
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