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The child swallowed the battery: what to do, symptoms, consequences
If a child swallows a battery, act immediately. Call an ambulance and take the child for an X-ray. The ingress of electrolyte into the baby’s body can be fatal.
Symptoms in a child with a battery inside
Children often swallow batteries. Typically, these are toy coin-cell batteries. The kid pulls small details into his mouth, and they end up inside him. Older children may do this by accident or for the sake of an argument. Finger or little finger batteries are more dangerous. They slip easily down the throat and into the gastrointestinal tract.
To prevent the child from swallowing the battery, wrap the remote control tightly with tape
Even if the object is not stuck in the airways – and this will be immediately clear from the barking cough, attacks of suffocation and loss of consciousness – you should not relax. The battery can get stuck in the esophagus or enter the stomach. The electrolyte in the battery can cause severe burns and “corrode” the walls of the esophagus.
Signs may not show themselves immediately. If the battery does not come out, which is not always the case, the following phenomena may appear:
- After a few days, the color of the baby’s stool becomes black or dark green, with a metal smell.
- The kid stops eating.
- The child has a stomach ache, coughing and choking.
- The temperature rises sharply.
The last sign suggests that you urgently need to go to the doctor, even if you have not seen how the baby ate the battery. Vomiting and loss of consciousness indicate intestinal bleeding.
What to do when the child has eaten the battery
Call an ambulance immediately, tell us about what happened and insist on an x-ray. Depending on the location of the item, proceed as follows:
- It is removed from the esophagus and stomach with an endoscope through the pharynx under anesthesia.
- When the battery is in the intestines, wait for it to come out unless surgery is indicated.
It is impossible to delay diagnostics. The longer the battery is in the gastrointestinal tract, the more dangerous the outcome can be. Do not waste time with a pediatrician, go directly to a surgeon or radiologist.
After 2-3 hours, the body will undergo oxidation. Possible burns to the esophagus or blood vessels, which will lead to severe bleeding. The burn causes not only severe pain, but may also require further surgery to restore the esophagus. When the mucous membrane heals, a scar will remain, which narrows the esophagus and creates problems with swallowing. The vocal cords may be damaged.
Swallowing the battery is dangerous for the baby, so all remotes must be tightly wrapped with tape. It is better to remove batteries from toys, which can lead to an irreversible outcome.