Four Year Old Swallows 5 CM Long Battery; Surgically Removed

Elsa Sunny

Parents of a four-year-old boy who had swallowed a 5 CM long battery in Chennai had a sigh of relief after doctors retrieved it.

The little boy had swallowed the AA Battery while playing with a remote control. It occupied the entire diameter of his esophagus or the food pipe.

Doctors used “roth net” and retrieved the battery through the mouth employing endoscopic method. “The large size of the battery to be removed was a challenge because the alignment of the battery was not in line with the esophagus. The blunt ends of the foreign body also posed a threat to the boy’s internal organs”, said Dr. Ravi, Group Director, Interventional Endoscopy.

While it”s common for children to swallow small button type batteries this doctors say was a rare case. “It is fortunate that the child told his parents about the swallowed battery. Had the battery been left inside the tummy, it would have been eroded by the acid in the stomach. Over time it would have corroded the walls of stomach and esophagus which could have been fatal to the child”, explained Dr. Naresh Shanmugam, Director of Women and Child Health, Rela hospital.

Doctors also advise parents to be particularly careful while exposing little children to small objects such as batteries and buttons. They also need to encourage them be forthright about such accidents which could turn fatal.

Elsa Sunny is pursuing her II MA, English Literature at Loyola College, Chennai.