The ingestion of this type of product constitutes an emergency. The High Authority for Health renews its advice.
The button cell batteries are not very big, and that is why they are a danger for the little ones. Used for the energy needs of remote controls, audio prostheses and more specifically for certain toys, they are of course toxic, mainly through the production of very alkaline hydroxide ions liable to cause very serious chemical burns. And these burns intensify from the second hour following ingestion.
A resurgence of ingestions
Certainly, notes the High Authority for Health (HAS) in a specific information point, this problem “is not recent” but she pointed “an increase in cases of ingestion of large diameter batteries”. And today, “no recommendation precisely defines the care of children with ayant ingested a button battery”.
In its press release written with the Society of Clinical Toxicology (STC), the authority recalls that “The speed of reaction of everyone is essential because, even in case of doubt, the ingestion of a button battery constitutes an emergency”.
Button battery swallowed: react quickly
For this purpose, health professionals must assess the situation according to thechild, which can lead to a heterogeneity of practices in the field. This is why the Ministry of Health has asked HAS and STC for good practice recommendations on this subject.
Initially, even if ingestion is only suspected at this stage, the child should be left on an empty stomach without trying to make him vomit and call 15 or a poison control centre, for the dual purpose “to trigger without delay the assessment and the appropriate care of the child”.
Whether the child arrives in an emergency department or in a doctor’s office, a “good coordination is essential” between first line healthcare professionals, SAMU, poison control centres, doctors emergencies, endoscopists, anesthesiologists and surgeons.
Esophagus or stomach?
HAS and STC believe that a chest x-ray is the gold standard to confirm battery ingestion and to know where it is precisely. Indeed, if the object is blocked at the level of the esophagus, which is a vital emergency, an upper digestive endoscopy must be carried out without delay given the risk of serious complications which increases beyond 2 hours.
And “If the pile is in the stomach, the management must be adapted to each situation, and digestive endoscopy is sometimes necessary”.
The two organizations recommend that the public authorities work with manufacturers to encourage the manufacture of button batteries with a diameter of less than 15 mm, as well as to promote the safety of devices operating with this type of object.