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Button batteries, coins top list of objects kids swallow, says PGI doc
Warning signs that parents fail to understand in very young infants with objects stuck in the oesophagus include vomiting, drooling, and refusal to eat.
Curiosity often gets the better of inquisitive children, and of late many of them are getting into trouble for popping all sorts of things in their mouths - with button batteries and coins topping the list - and landing in hospital, says a Chandigarh doctor.
About four to five such cases are reported every week at the out-patient department of paediatrics gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
Button batteries can be lethal, underlining the need for parents and carers to be extra cautious around the little ones. In many cases, the digestive tract processes the swallowed object and it exits the body naturally. Sadly, sometimes objects get stuck or cause injuries on their way out of the body.
The risk increases when the object is a button battery or a sharp object such as a screw or pin.
“Toys these days have small button batteries. These can be harmful if swallowed as they can erode the oesophagus and even cause death,” says Dr Sadhna B Lal, professor and head, paediatrics gastroenterology.
She advises parents to remove batteries from toys before handing them to the children and supervise them when the batteries are inserted in the toys.
Warning signs that parents fail to understand in very young infants with objects stuck in the oesophagus include vomiting, drooling, and refusal to eat. In case it blocks the airway a child can choke, cough, wheeze or have breathing difficulty.
About 200 children visit their out patient’s department (OPD) on a given day, says Lal.
