Parents warned over the dangers of button batteries
PARENTS are being warned about the risks to young children from button batteries.
Paediatric doctors in Glasgow warn that if swallowed, button batteries can have devastating consequences for children, causing severe burns to the internal tissues and, in the worst cases, death.
Often the damage to the child’s oesophagus, or gullet, can be extensive and they can require years of treatment in the wake of the incident.
While the number affected is low in the Glasgow area, according to the health board, one child in England died recently after swallowing one. Button batteries are often contained in toys and cards, and also kitchen or bathroom scales, remote controls and calculators.
Tash Kunanandam, Consultant Paediatric Otorhinolaryngologist, Royal Hospital for Children Glasgow, said: “These batteries cause maximal damage when they are swallowed and get stuck in the oesophagus.
“Similar to any hard ingested foreign body, they can cause some damage by a pressure effect.
“However, most of the devastating effects in these cases are actually due to chemical injuries.
“The effects can occur, firstly, due to generation of an electrical current resulting in hydroxide production from hydrolysis of tissue fluids and secondly, by leakage of alkaline contents.
“These deep burns can be severe enough to cause problems to nearby structures, such as the airway.
“Any child who swallows a foreign body that gets stuck in the oesophagus, more often than not, has a normal recovery after the object has been removed, with no further trips to hospital needed.
“In the case of button batteries, however, especially those that have been stuck for a period of time, the length of treatment can be long-term and potentially life-long.”
Parents are advised to take a child to A&E immediately if they swallow one of the batteries and check that products that require button-sized batteries have a secure compartment that children cannot open.
Elizabeth Lumsden, community safety manager with RoSPA Scotland, said: “We want parents, grandparents, childminders and carers to be aware of the danger and understand that these seemingly harmless little batteries can cause serious injury to children.”