Related Experiment Videos
Mercury poisoning after disc-battery ingestion
Human Toxicology
|March 1, 1987
Summary
A child swallowed a mercuric oxide disc battery, leading to severe mercury poisoning and intestinal complications. Prompt surgical intervention and chelation therapy were required to manage this critical case.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Toxicology
- Gastroenterology
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Alkaline disc batteries, particularly those containing mercuric oxide, pose a significant ingestion hazard in young children.
- Corrosive injury from battery ingestion is a known complication, but systemic mercury toxicity is less common.
Observation:
- A 2-year-old girl ingested a mercuric oxide disc battery, which disintegrated in her stomach.
- This necessitated emergency laparotomy, followed by elevated blood mercury levels (340 µg/L) and subsequent small bowel obstruction due to adhesions.
Findings:
- The patient required a second laparotomy to relieve the obstruction and remove residual mercury salts.
- Blood mercury levels only normalized after extensive surgical and medical management, highlighting the severity of systemic absorption.
Implications:
- This case underscores the potential for severe systemic mercury poisoning following disc battery ingestion.
- It emphasizes the need for vigilant monitoring of blood mercury levels and aggressive management, including surgical intervention, in such cases.
- A clear management protocol for swallowed batteries, considering both local corrosive effects and systemic toxicity, is crucial.