BATTERY!Not something you want your children to play with
As a Postgrad trainee in Safdarjung two, emergency cases really pushed our buttons. Tracheostomy in the ER and little kids swallowing batteries or inserting in nose and ears.
Now tracheostomy is a topic for another chapter, but the battery is something I need to warn you against. Those cute little cars and battery-operated toys may have disc battery (looks like a coin ) or small button batteries. Both are dangerous in little hands. They have a tendency to insert it in ears, nose, or swallowing it.
The Good news
With a button battery in ear or nose depending on size, they can be seen on Xray and removed with or without anesthesia. Button battery on being swallowed, may pass out through stool and not cause any problem. These are all good outcomes.
The Bad News
The worrying issues are when the button battery is missed by a parent who brings the child late to the ER. If in the nose it can cause septal perforation nasal bleeding and more.
In the ear, it can cause the destruction of the tympanic membrane and middle ear structure, potentially harming hearing ability.
But the biggest problem is probably a swallowed disc battery when it gets stuck in the food pipe or eso[phagus. That can be life-threatening.
After 3 hours, it starts leaking chemicals that first burn the mucosa, then the muscle layer and the serous layer or outer covering of food pipe. Once that happens, a potentially fatal condition called mediastinitis can occur.
All this can be avoided if you don’t give toys whose batteries can be taken out by prying fingers.
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In case such an unfortunate incident occurs, you need to visit the ER quickly. It requires an ENT department facility for removal with a hypopharyngoscopy or Esophagoscopy general anesthesia and a pediatric ICU setup, for potential complications. Remember, prevention is definitely better than cure.
In Kolkata, all the Government Medical Colleges have an Emergency facility for ENT, and so does most other Government Medical Colleges in Delhi. For other places, you can also check online for the services offered.
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What a great public service announcement! So many don’t think about the tiny batteries in toys. I remember when our friend’s son ( I think he was about 7 or 8) swallowed the little stick magnets, the ones that are about 1″ long and 1/8′ diameter. I needed major surgery to have them removed.
Obstruction hazards for kids is always scary and battery is something that is one of the most common mistake that kids can made. thanks for sharing useful pointers. will help lots of parents.
Oh, never thought of the dangers of battery around little ones. Good to know.
Thanks Dashy
After reading your post, all I can do is thank god that my kids are well past the age where they can put batteries in all the wrong places. This post is beneficial for everyone, especially young mothers. More often than not we miss on this aspect when we give toys to the kids to play. There’s a lot I keep educating myself with through your posts, Amrita. Waiting for your next one now.
Thanks Dipali
Thats a very useful post. Quite often our kids play unsupervised and there are chances that they might put batteries into their ear or mouth. Personally, I never give toys with lose or broken part. Those are the times when kids are most curious to look into why its lose.
So very true
My kid swallowed a piece of sponge once! Anything in their hands is scary