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ER visits for accidental swallowing have doubled. By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of children rushed to theemergency room after accidentally swallowing coin-sized batteriesfound in many household gadgets have doubled over the past twodecades, new research reveals. Serious complications -- including fatalities -- can arise whenso-called "button batteries," found in items ranging fromremote-control devices to children's toys, get lodged in theesophagus. "The increase we're seeing is a call to action," said study leadauthor Dr. Gary A. Smith, director of the Center for InjuryResearch and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus,Ohio. "I've treated many of these children, and when it happensit's absolutely horrifying. So while we've always respected thedangers these batteries pose, now it's really time for us toredouble our efforts to warn parents and work with manufacturers totake steps against this risk." The study appears online May 14 and in the June issue of Pediatrics . The authors looked at U.S. National Electronic Injury SurveillanceSystem data concerning all battery-related visits to the ER amongchildren up to age 18. The data covered the years between 1990 and 2009, and though ERvisits related to all types of batteries were tracked, the teamnoted that nearly 84 percent of such visits involved button-sizedbatteries. Four different types of accidental contact with button batterieswere tallied: swallowing and insertion of a battery into the mouth,ear, or nose. The team found that over the 20-year period such contactstranslated into nearly 66,000 ER visits, with a dramatic increaseover the final eight years. Button batteries accounted for 2,785 ERvisits by kids younger than 18 in 2009, up from 1,301 in 1990. "In effect, the curve of ER cases is now swinging way up," Smithsaid, "which means the increase is increasing, so to speak. Andthis coincides with another very important factor, which is thatwhen they are swallowed the risk is greater than ever because ofthe relatively recent introduction of 3-volt 20 mm lithiumbatteries. Button batteries used to be just 1.5 volts, so thatmeans that these new batteries are much more powerful than theirpredecessors." That means that although 92 percent of battery cases aresuccessfully treated, the remainder face an ever-increasing riskfor severe internal damage, Smith said. "When these increasinglypowerful batteries stop in one spot in the esophagus they cancreate a little micro-current and burn a hole right through,causing very serious damage in less than two hours," he explained."It can even burn into the aorta and cause a child to bleed todeath." Toddlers and others 5 years and younger faced the highest risk foraccidental button-battery contact, with the average age of incomingER patients just below 4 years. Boys accounted for a bigger slice of the ER visits (about 60percent), while most cases (nearly 77 percent) were the result ofbattery swallowing. Nose contact accounted for roughly 10 percentof cases, followed by mouth exposure (7.5 percent) and earinsertion (almost 6 percent). "For parents, the message is that if they suspect that their childhas swallowed a battery they need to get to the ER right away,"Smith said. "And in terms of prevention, they need to store anddispose of batteries out of reach, and also tape all batterycompartments shut." "For manufacturers, what we really need is to have an overarchingeffort by the industry to make battery compartments inaccessibleand child-resistant.," Smith added. "For all products. Not justtoys. Because most were not coming from products intended forchildren. They were coming from remote controls. Flashlights." Dr. Lee Sanders, an associate professor of pediatrics at StanfordUniversity in Palo Alto, Calif., also expressed concern. "Whenever we see a marked rise in any cause of injury for a child,it's concerning from a public-health standpoint," he said. "So weneed to investigate the root cause of this doubling. Onepossibility is that there is, in fact, increased exposure to buttonbatteries themselves. But of course we might have to also look atother causes, like changes in the actual reporting of cases thatmight have taken place as the system for reporting improves or thecoding for reporting improves." Sanders added that parents should heed the general advice regardingchoking, especially for those 5 years and younger. "Children shouldnever be unattended and they should never be within reach of anyobject that can fit through a choke tube, which is basically thecardboard tube of a toilet-paper roll," he said. This isparticularly the case with objects not normally considereddangerous, such as children's toys that have batteries and othersmall parts, and various objects found in the kitchen or bathroom."That's the best preventive strategy," he said. More information For more on button batteries, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine . SOURCES: Gary A. Smith, M.D., DrPH, director, Center for InjuryResearch and Policy, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus,Ohio; Lee Sanders, M.D., associate professor, pediatrics, StanfordUniversity, Palo Alto, Calif.; June 2012 Pediatrics Copyright © 2012 HealthDay . All rights reserved. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Tattoo Foot Switch , China Tattoo Machine Needles for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Tattoo Aftercare Cream.
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