Georgia mom issues warning after toddler daughter swallows button batteries
A Georgia woman issued a warning about the dangers of batteries after her 2-year-old daughter swallowed two of them and is now recovering at a hospital following emergency surgery.
Angelica Hill’s daughter, Salima, was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital on Tuesday after she says the toddler ingested a pair of button batteries, causing serious damage to her esophagus, according to a Facebook post.
“Can you all look around your house for button batteries in items and secure them right away!” Hill wrote. “Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t throw away old batteries in the trash like I did. Find a secure way to dispose of batteries and keep anything with a button battery secured away!”
In the post, she explained that moisture can activate the battery if swallowed, releasing corrosive acid that can damage the surrounding tissues and major arteries.
“I want everyone to know what a simple button battery can do,” Hill wrote on Facebook.
Swallowed batteries pose serious health risks in children and can burn a hole in the esophagus in as little as two hours, according to the National Capital Poison Center. Parents are urged to keep loose batteries out of reach of small children, along with battery-operated devices such as watches and talking greeting cards.
“About the size of a nickel, 20 mm, 3-volt lithium coin cells are the most hazardous as they are big enough to get stuck and burn faster,” according to the center’s website. “Serious complications have also been seen when small batteries are placed in the nose or ear - another situation where urgent removal is critical.”
Hill previously posted that doctors were worried about damage spreading to Salima’s aorta, an important blood vessel responsible for carrying oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. In an update Thursday, a friend who spoke on her behalf said Salima is doing better but still has “significant risk” of injury considering aortic damage can occur “up to a full week” after the initial injury.
For now, however, the toddler has no fever and is “beginning to fidget with toys.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Georgia mom issues warning after toddler daughter swallows button batteries."