Button battery Ingestion in a 3 year old boy

Button batteries are rare swallowed foreign bodys, but they can cause severe mucosal injuries and severe illness. The aim of this essay is to report one case treated in our institution.

A healthy 3 year old boy was referred to our institution due to unobserved foreign body ingestion. He presented with sialorrhea and vomiting. Physical examination showed saliva within the vallecula and the sinus piriformis. Endoscopy was performed under general anasthesia and a 20 mm button battery was found within the upper esophageus sphincter at cricopharyngeal sling. Esophageal mucosa presented a 4 – 5 cm long semicircumferential burn. Esophageal and stomach mucosa were cleaned with a huge amount of Ringers solution. Afterwards a 12 Ch nasogastric tube was settled in and the patient was treated with PPIs, antibiotics and prednisolon (single-shot). After 7 days nasogastric tube was removed and oral feeding started. He underwent control endoscopy 5 weeks after the accident and neither ulcera nor stenosis was found. Battery was removed within 4 hours after ingestion.

After button battery ingestion severe mucosal injuries can take place within few hours and therefore endoscopy must be performed as son as possible. Furthermore maximum sizes for batteries should be established.

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2019 (online)