The child swallowed a battery - finger or button, from the watch? What to do then? What should first aid look like? Batteries are - next to coins and blocks - one of the most common items that young children swallow. However, if a child swallows a battery, it is extremely dangerous and must not be delayed in removing it.

Contents:

  1. The child swallowed a battery - what to do?
  2. Child swallowed a battery - symptoms
  3. Child swallowed a battery - first aid

Baby swallowed a battery?A tiny baby can swallow the strangest things - from coins, buttons and rings to hairy caterpillars. A moment of inattention is enough for a tempting, colorful object to be in a toddler's mouth. Button batteries are extremely dangerous, and their removal must not be delayed.

Small, round batteries are more and more commonly used in electronic devices. Their shape resembles candies, they sparkle and cause a pleasant tingling on the tongue - no wonder that they often arouse the curiosity of young children.

When it happens that a child swallows such a battery, do not wait for it to "come out with the pile" - it is necessary to intervene as soon as possible. Particularly dangerous are the 3.0 V lithium button batteries with a diameter of 20 mm, which, due to their size, often get stuck in the esophagus.

The child swallowed the battery - what to do? It is advisable to hurry

A chemical reaction begins around the battery in the baby's esophagus: an alkaline solution is produced. In a short time, superficial damage to the mucosa may occur - such wounds will heal on their own without leaving any traces.

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However, the prolonged exposure of the lithium battery causes the solution to bite into the muscle tissue, which may lead to chemical burns within 2 hours, and consequently - the formation of scars and adhesions that make it difficult to swallow food.

It can also damage the vocal cords and even perforate the esophagus. Therefore, it is imperative to remove the battery from the esophagus using the endoscopic technique as soon as possible.

Important

The child swallowed a battery - symptoms

Symptoms that can be caused by a battery in the esophagus are

  • vomiting (also with blood)
  • cough
  • loss of appetite
  • drooling
  • swallowing problems
  • fever
  • wheezing

What happens to a child who swallows a battery?

Source: Youtube.com/CHOICE Australia

The child swallows a battery- first aid

Before the child goes to the hospital, the negative effects of the battery on the mucosa must be minimized. The agent recommended by American otolaryngologists, and available in most households, is … bee honey.

On the way to the hospital, give it to your child at regular intervals. A protective agent that can be given by your primary care physician is a drug containing sulphacrate - an aluminum s alt of sucrose sulphate that protects the gastric mucosa.

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Contraindication to administering honey is allergy to honey, suspicion of sepsis, and clinical suspicion that esophagus perforation has already occurred.

This recommendation is the result of systematic studies conducted by pediatric otolaryngologists from the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus (Ohio, USA) who, through experiments on the esophagus mucosa of dead pigs, checked which commonly available substances neutralized the negative effects of lithium batteries.

Neither fruit juices nor common s alt solutions were able to lower the high, alkaline pH that destroys the mucosa.

Only honey and sulfacrate were effective enough to protect the esophagus from complications - which was confirmed by experiments conducted by scientists on live piglets.

Important

If you have seen or suspect a child has swallowed a button cell, don't wait for symptoms to develop. Give your baby honey and go to the emergency room immediately, as severe damage to esophageal tissue can occur within 2 hours.

Important: the baby's condition should be monitored for at least the next 4 weeks, as even after removing the battery, it may turn out (e.g. due to scarring of tissue) that the esophagus has narrowed.

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Category:

Gastrology