Growing up, the child tries to learn the world around him. To cope with this task, he is helped by hearing, sight, touch, smell, and, of course, you can’t do without taste sensations. Kids have not yet learned, as adults, to distinguish what is edible and what is inedible. Therefore, they are trying to try any subject, as they say, "by the tooth."
Particularly dangerous for the child are items of small sizes. It often happens that a child swallows a small object. It is especially dangerous when this item turns out to be a battery. Among other things, it can also end with a chemical burn of the esophagus. Therefore, a swallowed battery is very dangerous. And if this happens, then you should immediately contact a medical institution.
How to find out if a child swallows a battery
Not only very young children can make stupid things, but also a little older. But only older children will not swallow the battery intentionally. This can happen by accident, for example, when replacing the battery in some of his toys, he took it in his mouth to hold it with his hands and opened the place where the batteries were inserted (this is sometimes done by adults taking nails in their mouths to free their hands) . But it happens that children do this, arguing with friends: "But weakly -" eat up "the battery!". But if this happened to older children, then they will be able to explain to parents what happened. But if a small child swallows a battery, then adults may not know about it right away.
If none of the parents or other adults was in the room at the time this happened, then you won’t be able to immediately find out what happened. How do I know if a child swallowed a battery? If you have such a suspicion, then there is only one way out: you must very carefully observe the behavior of your baby. In this case, you can see that the health of the child begins to deteriorate. There are times when a battery can leave the esophagus on its own. But for this, it may take a lot of time, and the reaction that we have already mentioned may begin.
Symptoms of swallowing a battery
The fact that a power source has entered the gastrointestinal tract can be guessed from the following symptoms:
- The temperature rises, which is a natural reaction of the human body to the inflammatory process.
- Vomiting occurs due to irritation of the larynx. If there is blood in the vomit, this is a signal of the presence of internal bleeding.
- Feces have a black color and a metallic smell. This also indicates the presence of blood in the feces.
- The child has a stomach ache. The pain is localized depending on where the battery is located in the stomach or intestines.
- The baby may lose consciousness - this is a sign of internal bleeding.
Such symptoms indicate peritonitis and intestinal infections. In order to exclude the possibility that the child swallowed the battery, a diagnosis should be made using x-rays. Remember when this item could enter the body of your baby, and notify the endoscopist. This will make it possible to more accurately determine in which place at the moment the battery may be.
An x-ray taken at a medical facility will show if a foreign object is in the esophagus or has gone further. If the battery is stuck in the esophagus, it should be removed from there as soon as possible. X-rays can also determine exactly where it is. If the battery is in the esophagus, after two hours, the electrolyte begins to leak and a chemical burn of the esophagus occurs. In this case, a current is formed that injures the baby, erosions appear on the mucous membrane of the esophagus, which then develop into ulcers.
What batteries can a child swallow?
There are many types of batteries. But most often small batteries fall into the stomachs of babies, as a rule, these are round flat nutrients, they are also called tablets-batteries. They are used in "talking" books, in children's toys. Quite often, these are batteries from watches.
Many parents are interested in the question of whether their crumbs can be swallowed by the so-called "little" battery. The answer is yes. The little and finger batteries most often do not reach the stomach, but get stuck in the esophagus. They are even more dangerous than tablet batteries.
The child put the battery in the ear
Children can not only swallow small objects, which include batteries, but also stick them in their ears or nose. What should be done in this case? Despite the fact that this is less dangerous than when swallowed, but also in the case when the child shoved a foreign body (in our case, a battery) into his nose or ear, there is no way to do without the help of doctors. You must immediately go to a medical institution or call an ambulance at home. It is very dangerous when an object enters the respiratory tract, then it becomes already life threatening. If a large object enters the bronchi or trachea, it may block the lumen, and the child will begin to suffocate.
How to remove the battery
Removing any foreign body, no matter what its size and shape, is not an easy procedure. No less complicated is also the removal of the batteries. As a rule, this occurs with the help of a surgical operation and with the use of special tools. Small batteries are quite difficult to get using standard tweezers, so most often this is done using special grippers in the form of a loop. If you are lucky, the endoscopist removes the foreign body the first time. This procedure occurs under general anesthesia.
After the battery has been removed, the child should still be in the hospital for some time, as doctors should watch him. Even if the battery passed freely through the esophagus and is located in the intestine, specialist supervision is still necessary. Doctors will prescribe special medicines for the baby that will help the body quickly get rid of a foreign body.
Such children after all the procedures undergo another rehabilitation course. Such rehabilitation includes a set of measures that is prescribed for peptic ulcer. All this time you need to adhere to proper nutrition. The doctor will recommend a special diet, depending on the specific case.
The child swallowed the battery: consequences
If you swallow a battery, then, regardless of how large or small it is, the consequences can be very disastrous. The severity of the consequences depends on the period the baby is in the body.
If the battery is stuck in the esophagus, then after two to three hours after the incident, it begins to oxidize. This process causes severe suffering in the child: he cannot swallow, his larynx is very sore. In the healing process of the mucosa due to the scar formed, narrowing of the esophagus often occurs, and sometimes it completely overlaps. In this case, repeated surgical interventions are performed, and quite often everything ends with a life-long disability and nutrition with a probe. Due to damage to the vocal cords, the child may lose the ability to talk.
Colonoplasty. What is it?
With very serious damage to the esophagus, colonoplasty is necessary. This is done as follows: tissue is taken from the baby’s large intestine and transplanted onto the damaged esophagus. As a rule, this gives a good result, but nevertheless it is a very expensive operation.
The acid in the battery, once in the stomach and intestines, forms ulcers on their walls and causes internal bleeding. If acid enters large vessels, bleeding occurs very rapidly, which may ultimately lead to the death of the child.
How to save a child
As practice shows, most often children swallow batteries that were in their toys. It can also be batteries from watches, which belong to adult family members, in rare cases, these are batteries located in hearing aids. Therefore, it is impossible for the baby to play with these items. But in toys, the compartment in which the batteries are stored should be fixed with special screws that the child could not unwind.
Each time before giving the baby a toy, check that the compartment is securely closed. If you doubt the reliability of the fastening, it is better to play it safe and fix the cover with adhesive tape. Under no circumstances should batteries be left in a conspicuous place from where a child can get them. Also, do not dispose of exhausted batteries in the bin, to which the baby can reach. And most importantly, never leave your little children unattended.
Battery self removal
If a child swallows a tablet battery and an X-ray shows that it is in his intestines, then in case of normal health the baby should wait 1-3 days. During this time, the foreign body must leave the body in a natural way. But it should be remembered that the longer the battery is in the intestines, the more dangerous it is. Therefore, it is necessary to help, so she quickly came out. To do this, feed the baby soft food, kefir, boiled beets, give him plums.
If three days have passed, but the battery has not left, you should go to the hospital, where it will be removed surgically. It is impossible to postpone a trip to a medical institution, because this can result in ingrown batteries in the intestinal tissue.
The kid has bitten a battery
If it is difficult to swallow a finger battery, then he can easily crack it. And it is also very dangerous for his health. Electrolyte will leak from the damaged casing into the baby’s mouth. A chemical burn of the oral mucosa resulting from this will heal for at least two to three weeks.
If this happens, immediately rinse your mouth with plenty of water and seek medical attention without delay. You can grease the wounds with sea buckthorn oil. The electrolyte, as a rule, in addition to the tissues of the oral cavity, also damages the larynx.
Conclusion
Among other misfortunes that happen to young children, it happens that a child swallows a battery of tablets. "What to do in this case?" - This question is asked by the parents of affected children. The nutrient in the baby’s body is very dangerous. Therefore, in no case should you self-medicate, and you should immediately take the baby to the hospital, where the location of the battery will be determined with an X-ray and it will be removed.