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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
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Measuring Attentional Biases for Threat in Children and Adults
Published on: October 19, 2014
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Button battery exposure in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Christopher Tran1,2, Carlos Nunez3,2, Guy D Eslick1,2
1Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Summary
Button battery exposures in children are a serious risk, often leading to severe complications like mucosal damage and strictures. Safer battery designs are crucial to prevent these domestic hazards.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Button battery ingestions and insertions pose a growing threat of severe and fatal outcomes in children.
- Current evidence on pediatric button battery exposures requires comprehensive summarization and pooled prevalence estimates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize current evidence on button battery exposures in children.
- To provide pooled prevalence estimates for clinical characteristics and complications.
- To identify risk estimates for predictors of adverse outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases up to May 19, 2023.
- Included studies on children (<18 years) with button battery exposures reporting prevalence or odds ratio (OR) data.
- Utilized random effects models for pooled prevalence and event rate estimation.
Main Results:
- Analyzed 44 articles involving 3125 children; exposures more common in males and younger children.
- Common complications include mucosal damage (46%) and esophageal stricture (10%) after ingestion; nasal septal perforation (13%) after insertion.
- Delayed removal (≥10-12 hours), larger battery diameter (≥20 mm), and esophageal location increased complication risk; esophageal impaction correlated with death.
Conclusions:
- Button batteries represent a significant, potentially fatal domestic hazard for young children.
- Enhanced prevention strategies, including improved battery design, are essential to reduce associated risks.
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