Cases of children rushed to the emergency room after swallowing coin-sized batteries have doubled the past two decades, new research reveals.
Serious complications -- including fatalities -- can arise when so-called "button batteries," found in items ranging from remote-control devices to children's toys, get lodged in the esophagus.
"The increase we're seeing is a call to action," said study lead author Dr. Gary A. Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "I've treated many of these children, and when it happens it's absolutely horrifying."
The dangers of ingesting a button battery go well beyond choking, and can cause to death within hours. The batteries can become lodged in the esophagus, burning holes through it that lead to chronic breathing problems and infections.
Researchers found that over the 20-year period, 66,000 ER visits came from swallowing and insertion of a battery into the mouth, ear, or nose. The study appears in the June issue of Pediatrics.
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