Believe it or not, button battery poisoning occurs a lot more than most parents think. In truth, the USA recorded a whopping 3,500 battery poisoning cases almost every year.
Most of those cases happened to people of all ages. This further proves that we parents should closely monitor the different toys or gadgets that our little ones use.
With the advancement of toys and games, most of what we buy for our kids includes a button battery or more. This makes these toys more enjoyable but also dangerous at the same time.
To further warn parents, we compiled 3 heartbreaking stories about button battery ingestion cases. We also included safety tips to remember if your child swallows a small battery at home.
3 Real Stories to Warn Parents About Button Battery Poisoning
To further warn parents, we compiled 3 heartbreaking stories about button battery ingestion cases. We also included safety tips to remember if your child swallows a small battery at home.
While they may break the hearts of most parents, these cases serve to raise awareness of the dangers of button batteries. They also encourage more parents and adults to remain cautious when owning batter-operated stuff at home.
She Swallowed the Shiny Thing
A viral post from a mum shed a light on the importance of regularly checking battery-operated toys. While the mother and her family ate after ordering dinner, her daughter said a phrase that haunts most parents.
“I just swallowed that,” said the young girl to her mum.
As she said this, she pointed to a button battery next to a doll. One of her kids then turned pale as they recalled that they took out a button battery from the doll.
After realising what happened, the mum and her child rushed to bring the younger girl to the hospital. Fortunately, the older child searched online and learned about the honey remedy for button battery ingestion.
Luckily, the dinner they ordered included honey packets; they quickly opened them for the younger girl to swallow. This act ultimately saved her life from the danger of swallowing a button battery.
At the hospital, the girl’s x-ray showed that the button battery passed through her stomach. This made doctors relieved because it evaded major arteries in the child’s body. They told the child to stay overnight for further checking.
The next day, the young girl finally got out of the hospital when her attending doctor learned that the battery passed her intestines. The whole situation pushed the mum to raise awareness of the button battery ingestion.
The Battery Burned Her Food Pipe
Image courtesy: BBC
When Harper-Lee Fanthorpe began vomiting, her babysitter, Jamie-Leigh, rushed to call the ambulance. Sure enough one arrived and Harper was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital, in the UK. She was taken into the operation theatre, and since she lost a lot of blood, she was even given 2 litres additional.
Unfortunately, she breathed her last, with “Mummy, I need you” as her parting words.
It was later found that the two-year-old died just hours after swallowing button batteries that she retrieved from the remote. The acid from the button battery burned her food pipe and passed into a major artery.
The toddler’s mum, Stacey, later found a remote control in her daughter’s bedroom, with a missing button battery. She became devastated after piecing things together.
She told reporters that these button batteries can be found everywhere. From the kid’s toys to their books.
Stacey emotionally admitted that they were not aware of the dangers of button batteries.
The pain of her daughter’s sudden demise is unbearable, but Stacey decided to share her story with other parents. She said, “It’s about awareness. If I can save one child or a hundred, then I’ve promised my baby I’ve done what I’ve done.”
While Harper’s death is tragic, it has become a turning point in raising awareness about batter poising in children.
A Battery Permanently Disabled a Baby
Back in 2014, a mother from New Zealand rushed her 8-month-old baby to the hospital due to symptoms of a runny nose and mild wheezing. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst when the baby’s attending doctor got ahold of his x-ray.
It showed that a battery got lodged in the infant’s oesophagus. Thanks to a quick operation, the baby survived after doctors took out the battery. However, things were far from being clear.
Since the battery stayed in the baby for quite some time, the infant’s oesophagus sustained severe burns. The injuries also reached the trachea and the nerves connected to the vocal cords.
Because of this, doctors informed the mum that her baby might need help breathing in the future. Moreover, the damage possibly leads to the baby becoming mute as they grow up.
Image Source: iStock
Battery Poisoning: Symptoms & Treatment
For parents with small children, we strongly urge you to regularly check your battery-powered stuff. You may list down those items to further ensure a safe environment for your kids.
Meanwhile, our children are curious by nature. Because of this, we usually fail to notice every little thing that they ingest or play with. This is why it is important to be armed with the right information.
Where to Locate Button Batteries at Home
Most toys that move or generate sounds include a button battery or more inside. Because of this, we advise parents to always make sure that these toys feature screwed-down casings.
This prevents our children from gaining access to button batteries. Additionally, button batteries can be found in remote controls, cameras, watches, and many other electronic items.
If you have the mentioned items at home, make sure to monitor your kids when they happen to play or use them. We say this because some of those battery-powered devices don’t feature secure housing for button batteries.
Symptoms of Battery Poisoning
There are various button battery ingestion symptoms that parents need to remember. When a child ingests a button battery, you may not spot symptoms or sometimes it can be similar to that of a common infection.
Alternatively, it could also lead to a fatal accident. This is what makes it more challenging for health care professionals. When a child swallows a battery, it reacts with saliva and the tissue of the oesophagus. It then creates a hydroxide-rich, alkaline solution that essentially dissolves tissue.
- When the battery is placed in the oesophagus: In this case, the oesophagus as well as the windpipe, lungs, and large blood vessels can be damaged. This can give rise to an immediate life-threatening emergency due to excessive bleeding caused by blood vessel damage. Survivors often suffer from lifelong disabilities.
- When a button battery is placed in the ear or the nose: There can be extensive damage to structures such as the eardrum and nasal septum. The infection due to battery poisoning can lead to permanent disabilities related to breathing, hearing, or smell.
A team of ENT specialists recently shared that eating honey after swallowing a button battery has the potential to reduce serious injuries in small children. According to their research, honey may significantly reduce morbidity and deaths from batteries.
However, you should always consult your paediatrician before trying out the honey battery poisoning remedy. Moreover, we also discourage parents from resorting to any other home remedies.
Image Source: iStock
Treatment of Battery Poisoning
Most of the time, x-rays help determine if your child ingested a button battery. If it is, then urgent removal is the only treatment. The aim would be to limit any further damage to the surrounding tissues.
A child who has ingested a battery will need to go for regular follow-ups and there could also be delayed complications.
Tips To Avoid Battery Poisoning Accidents At Home
- Don’t keep loose and spare batteries within the reach of your children.
- Regularly check if toys and battery-powered devices show any loose screws or casings. This helps prevent your kids from gaining any access to any small button battery.
- When you are opening new toys, do so carefully because there could be a spare toy inside the package.
Furthermore, we urge mums and dads to watch out for other symptoms such as drooling or coughing up blood. On some occasions, your child may alert you by pointing at their throat.
Please, stay safe and alert because in most cases, you may not see the child swallowing the button batter. This causes a delayed diagnosis and even greater injury!
This article was updated by Kaira De la Rosa.
Here at theAsianparent Singapore, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Singapore is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
