Button Batteries: Medical Emergency if swallowed or inserted into nose or ear
Parents please be aware of the significant dangers button or miniature disc batteries pose. Button batteries have become quite common in games and toys, musical greeting cards, watches, calculators, hearing aids and small electronic devices. Sixty-two percent of battery ingestions involve children under the age of 5 years, with a peak incidence in 1- and 2-year-olds. However, many battery ingestion cases involve adults! (the mouth is NOT a 3rd hand) Damage to tissue begins immediately. In less than 4 hours severe tissue ulceration and necrosis (tissue death) can occur. Symptoms are varied and can include: a runny nose, pus/foul-smelling/brown nasal or ear drainage (one side versus both), facial swelling, burns to face or mouth or ear canal, nausea, vomiting, blood in vomitus, fever, irritability, difficulty talking or swallowing. If you suspect a button battery has been swallowed, your child needs immediate medical attention. See attached link for more information.