Button battery ingestions in children
Amy R. Zipursky, Savithiri Ratnapalan
Abstract
1 Injuries in children from ingesting button batteries are increasing Between 1999 and 2019, the United States National Poison Data System reported a 66.7% increase in yearly ingestion of button batteries (6.98 to 10.46 per million population) and a 10-fold increase in complications (0.77% [n = 76] to 7.53% [n = 551]). 1 Button batteries can cause substantial tissue damage within 2 hours of ingestion. 2 2 The type and size of the ingested battery influence the likelihood of complications Lithium batteries (given their high voltage) and those 20 mm or larger (which are likely to become lodged in the esophagus) are most dangerous, especially in children younger than 6 years. 2 Complications include gastrointestinal perforation, aortoesophageal fistulas and strictures. 2,