AFP, published on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 12:51 p.m.
Button batteries, present in toys, watches or even remote controls, can be a mortal danger if they are swallowed by children, which requires acting very quickly, underlines the High Authority for Health, which publishes new recommendations Wednesday.
If actions have already been taken to raise awareness of this “potentially fatal risk” especially for young children, “there is an increase in France in cases of ingestion of large diameter batteries” (at least 15 millimeters), notes the HAS in a joint statement with the Society for Clinical Toxicology (STC).
If swallowed, button batteries can become blocked in the esophagus, the conduit that connects the mouth to the stomach, and cause, by their electrical action in this humid environment, a burn whose severity increases considerably following the second hour.
“The speed of reaction of each is essential because, even in case of doubt, the ingestion of a button battery constitutes an emergency”, underline the HAS and the STC.
But, until then, no recommendation defined “precisely” the care of children in France, which might lead to heterogeneous practices on the territory.
For the general public, it is recommended to leave the child on an empty stomach without trying to make him vomit and to call 15 or a poison control center, recalls the press release.
For professionals, to whom the recommendations are given with questions and answers and decision trees, the HAS and the STC note, for example, that the chest X-ray is the reference examination to confirm the ingestion of a battery and to determine the localisation.
A battery stuck in the esophagus is a life-threatening emergency, which requires an upper digestive endoscopy “without delay”. If the pile is in the stomach, a digestive endoscopy is sometimes necessary, specifies the press release.
To the public authorities, the HAS and the STC suggest in particular regular information on the long term on the risks of ingesting a button battery targeting the general public, early childhood and health professionals.
They also recommend that they “work with the manufacturers responsible for placing button batteries on the market, including at European level, to promote the manufacture and use of button batteries with a diameter of less than 15 mm, but also to secure devices powered by these batteries,” according to the statement.