After Removal of a Button Battery: How to Care for Your Child

Young children often explore by placing objects in their mouths and tasting or licking them. Sometimes they swallow them. Button batteries can be dangerous, especially if stuck in the esophagus, so the health care provider removed it right away. The health care team carefully watched your child while he or she recovered from the procedure. It is now safe to take your child home. This is a good time to go through your home and make sure that batteries and other dangerous items are out of your child's reach.

• Give your child any prescribed medicine as directed by the health care provider.

• Follow any diet instructions given by your health care provider.

• If your child's throat is sore, offer cold drinks and ice pops. Older kids (usually, 4- to 5-year-olds can do this) can try gargling with warm saltwater.

• Injuries from button batteries don't always heal well and kids can develop problems even a few weeks later. Make a follow-up appointment so the health care provider can make sure your child is getting better.

Your child:

• vomits

• has a fever

• has chest or belly pain

• coughs a lot

• has noisy breathing

Your child:

• has trouble breathing or swallowing

• vomits or coughs up blood or something that looks like coffee grounds

• has poop (a bowel movement) that looks bloody or black

• has a hard belly or severe belly pain

What is a button battery? Button batteries are small round batteries that can look like buttons or coins. They're used in hearing aids, toys, watches, calculators, electronic thermometers, key fobs, and remote controls.

Can a swallowed button battery be dangerous? Yes. A swallowed button battery can injure the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, intestines) by:

• giving off an electrical charge (even when the battery seems "dead")

• leaking chemicals after being broken down by stomach acid

• pressing on the inside of the digestive tract

The damage caused by the battery can quickly cause swelling and narrowing of the digestive tract, which can make it hard to swallow food. It also can burn a hole in the digestive tract, which can be very dangerous.

How did the health care provider remove the button battery? While your child was asleep (under anesthesia), the health care provider removed the battery using a thin tube called an endoscope, which passes through the mouth into the esophagus. A tiny camera in the endoscope let the health care provider see the battery and check the digestive tract for damage. He or she used small tweezers (forceps) to pull the battery out through the mouth. If the health care provider could not reach the battery this way or needed to repair damage to the digestive tract, a different procedure may have been done.

How can I prevent this from happening again?

• Keep products that use button batteries out of the reach of unsupervised children.

• If your child (or other family member) wears a hearing aid, ask your health care provider about models with a childproof battery compartment.

• Store batteries in childproof cabinets or drawers.

• Safely recycle all batteries.