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Foreign Body Ingestion in Children: Should Button Batteries in the Stomach Be Urgently Removed?

Jun Hee Lee1, Jee Hoo Lee1, Jung Ok Shim1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
|April 12, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Button battery (BB) ingestion in children can cause serious complications, especially with lithium batteries. Urgent endoscopic removal is recommended for lithium BBs to prevent harm, even if asymptomatic.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Medical Device Safety

Background:

  • Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common pediatric emergency.
  • Button battery (BB) ingestions are increasing and pose significant risks.
  • Current recommendations for BB removal may need refinement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Identify factors influencing outcomes of FB ingestion in children.
  • Specifically evaluate outcomes of button battery ingestion in the stomach.
  • Suggest refined indications for endoscopic removal of gastric button batteries.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 76 children with FB ingestion.
  • Detailed observation of BB type, size, location, and patient outcomes.
  • Statistical analysis of associations between BB characteristics and complications.

Main Results:

  • Lithium BBs (≥1.5 cm, 3 V) caused moderate to major complications regardless of symptoms or location.
  • Alkaline BBs (<1.5 cm, 1.5 V) did not result in complications.
  • No association found between FB shape/size and spontaneous passage time or complications.

Conclusions:

  • BB type and voltage are critical factors for determining the need for endoscopy.
  • Urgent endoscopic removal of lithium BBs in children is crucial to prevent severe complications.
  • Consider endoscopic removal even for asymptomatic children with lithium BB ingestion.
Abstract

Keywords:
Button batteryEndoscopyForeign bodiesIngestion

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