Pédiatrie et thérapeutique
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Button Battery Ingestion in Children: Experience in Kurdistan Center for Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Adnan MH Hamawandi, Aram Baram, Taha A Karboli and Ako Anwar

Background: The vast majority of button battery (BB) ingestions occur when curious children explore their environment. Button batteries do not usually cause problems unless they become lodged in the gastrointestinal tract.

Objective: To report our experience of button battery ingestion in children focusing on clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes.

Patients and methods: Between January 2006 to June 2015 all cases of BB ingestion presented to the Kurdistan center for Gastroenterology and Hepatology (KCGH), Sulaimani, Iraq, were reviewed retrospectively. The diagnosis based on history, clinical examination and results of imaging studies. The clinical data reviewed included gender, age, clinical manifestation, hospital course, imaging findings and endoscopic findings.

Results: Twenty children with button battery ingestion referred to KCGH; 12 male and 8 female patients with age range of 10 months to 70 months and the mean age of 28 months. Seven patients passed the batteries spontaneously in the stool without harm within 2-5 days. In13 patient batteries were retrieved endoscopically from the esophagus in 7 patients and from the stomach in 6 patients. The endoscopic findings in the 7 patients in whom the button batteries were in the esophagus were; severe injury in 5 patients, mild injury in 2 patients; there was perforation of the esophagus in 4 patients associated with Tracheoesophageal Fistula in three patients.

Conclusion: Severe injury can occur rapidly following BB ingestion particularly when they are lodged in the esophagus. A high index of suspicion for a BB is necessary to avoid life-threatening sequel. Emergency endoscopic retrieval is required in these situations.