A Colorado mom is sharing a warning for other parents as her 4-year-old daughter recovers in the hospital after swallowing a small button battery.
“You can be the most observant, most caring parent in your household but … it can happen,” Jess Sandoval told ABC News from Children's Hospital Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, where her daughter is currently receiving treatment. “It takes an instant minute.”
Sandoval, a mom of five, said she and her family, including daughter Elana, 4, recently attended a drive-through Christmas light show, where they received a small package with lights and wristlets.
It wasn’t until the family was all home that Sandoval said the incident unfolded.
“We're all sitting on the couch, watching ‘The Grinch,’ and the kids were eating blueberries,” the 37-year-old mom recalled. “[My children] had the bracelet on their hands, so I didn't think anything of it, because the other toys have screws on them. … [then] I looked at her and she looked at me and I could tell she looked like she was gonna choke.”
Sandoval said initially she thought Elana had choked on a piece of food but her kids told her it had been a button battery in one of the wristlets and Sandoval quickly rushed Elana to a local hospital.
“They did an X-ray and they said, ‘Hey, we need to transport you to Children's Hospital in Aurora because we don't specialize in this. This can be a very dangerous situation,” Sandoval recounted.
At Children’s Hospital Colorado, doctors diagnosed Elana with a foreign body (button battery) ingestion.
Elana was rushed into surgery the following day on Dec. 7 and required a stay in the intensive care unit.
Dr. Edwin de Zoeten, director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Children's Hospital Colorado, told ABC News doctors were able to remove the button battery from inside Elana’s body but the battery caused a perforation in Elana’s esophagus, which led to mediastinitis, or inflammation and subsequent infection of the mediastinum, the space in the chest between the lungs that contains tissues and organs of the chest.
Elana also needed a feeding tube, antibiotics and is under observation for a risk of further injury or complications.
“Her prognosis is guarded as button batteries can cause continued expansion of inflammation and burn even after the battery is removed,” de Zoeten explained via email. “This can lead to a bleed in larger vessels for up to 20-30 days after the battery is removed. If everything heals well, she may need endoscopic treatment to dilate the esophagus due to development of strictures at the site that the battery was found in the esophagus.”
According to the nonprofit National Capital Poison Center, over 3,500 people of all ages in the U.S. swallow button batteries each year. The small batteries are used in many common items, such as jewelry, audio greeting cards, toys and remote control devices.
Both Sandoval and de Zoeten hope others realize how dangerous and deadly button battery ingestion and subsequent injuries can be.
“Button batteries are everywhere (cards that play music, ornaments that light up, swag received at conferences, toys intended for adults or children) and many items do not have child protection like a screw holding the battery in place,” wrote de Zoeten. “Look around your house for items that have these batteries and put them out of reach or throw them away.”
“Christmas is coming. Make sure your little ones are careful with any toy that they have. It's just that one little thing that can make a big difference with those children,” Sandoval said. “I don't want that to happen to any other parent.”
If a parent suspects a child has swallowed a button battery, de Zoeten recommends bringing the child to an emergency room immediately.
“If your child is over 12 months old and is suspected of ingesting a battery, as you are bringing your child into the ER, give them a few teaspoons of honey every 15 minutes as this may decrease the discharge of the battery,” de Zoeten added.
The National Capital Poison Center also recommends:
