Our medical expert explains the dangers of children swallowing batteries, and explains what to do if it happens
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I am writing to share what happened to our family last Christmas in the hope it might prevent others going through the same.
Our two-year-old granddaughter, Emily, swallowed one of my husband’s hearing aid batteries after he changed them, just before lunch. He left the old ones on the arm of his chair.
Emily ended up spending Christmas and Boxing Day in hospital. She was fine, but I had no idea how common this is, or how serious it could have been. Please spread the word.
I’m glad Emily was OK. I don’t have recent figures for the UK, but 3,500 children are seen every year in US hospitals after swallowing button batteries. The Child Accident Prevention Trust says at least two children die each year in the UK after ingesting them.
Most will travel through a child without causing problems but occasionally they can burn the gut wall – particularly the oesophagus (gullet) – leading to serious complications including bleeding and a perforated bowel.
So please be careful with these batteries, particularly old ones you put aside for recycling. Always put them back in the original packaging or cover them on both sides with non-conductive tape and store somewhere safe. Smaller hearing aid batteries are the number one culprit (36% of cases in one study), followed by larger coin-sized types found in key fobs, calculators and toys.
And if a child – or adult – swallows one, or you even think they might have, take them straight to the nearest A&E department. And don’t delay, as complications can develop within a few hours. The same advice applies if they push the battery up their nose, ear, or anywhere else for that matter.
I hope Grandad was forgiven.
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