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20 mm lithium button battery causing an oesophageal perforation in a toddler: lessons in diagnosis and treatment

Giampiero Soccorso1, Ole Grossman, Massimo Martinelli

  • 1Paediatric Surgery Unit, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Western Bank, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TH, UK. giampsoccorso@doctors.org.uk

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|May 3, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Button battery ingestion in children can cause severe esophageal injury. Prompt removal and close monitoring are crucial to prevent life-threatening complications like perforation.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Otolaryngology

Background:

  • Button batteries (BBs) lodged in the esophagus pose a significant risk of severe complications, especially in young children.
  • Esophageal perforation is a critical and potentially fatal outcome of prolonged BB impaction.

Observation:

  • A case report details a 3-year-old child who ingested a 20-mm lithium BB, initially misdiagnosed as a coin.
  • The child rapidly developed esophageal perforation due to the button battery.

Findings:

  • Surgical intervention, including thoracotomy and T-tube management, was successfully employed to treat the perforation.
  • The study highlights the rapid progression of tissue damage caused by button batteries.

Implications:

  • Urgent removal of esophageal button batteries (20 mm) in children is paramount.
  • Vigilant post-ingestion observation is essential to detect and manage rapid esophageal injury.
  • This case underscores the importance of accurate and timely diagnosis of swallowed button batteries.

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