Durban — A 8-month-old died after swallowing a button battery last week.
The news was shared by Dr Melissa Chettiar on her Facebook page on Sunday evening.
Chettiar is a paediatrician at Kingsway Hospital.
“This week I lost a beautiful 8-month-old baby due to the ingestion of a button battery which became lodged in his oesophagus,” Chettiar said.
“I am heartbroken writing this post but I need parents, especially of infants, to become aware of the dangers of these innocent-looking batteries.”
She said button batteries were found in many electronic devices and children’s toys.
She also said the batteries were corrosive.
“If it becomes lodged in the oesophagus it can cause full-thickness burns and oesophageal and tracheal perforation,” Chettiar said.
“If you see your baby or toddler ingest a button battery it should be removed within 2 hours of ingestion.
“If you didn’t see your child ingest the battery but have signs of refusal to feed, excessive drooling, dullness, lethargy and fever, please take your child in for an evaluation,” Chettiar added.
She advised parents to get rid of all toys that contain button batteries because “it is not worth the risk”.
In 2016, IOL reported that batteries were one of the things one did not know could kill kids.
Most toys come with batteries these days. Button batteries are small and easy to swallow.
When a button battery is swallowed it is likely to get stuck in the child's oesophagus, and if stuck for more than two hours it starts eroding through the soft tissue of the oesophagus and causes a hole.
The battery burns could cause severe bleeding that could lead to death; tissue injury that requires tube feeding; paralysed vocal cords; and many other problems that require surgery and long recovery periods.
Daily News