While playing with toys, an infant swallowed a coin-shaped battery (a button battery) on a late afternoon. The parents noticed the boy chocking and immediately rushed the child to the local general physician. The child got lucky since his parents were doctors, who knew the immediate actions, which were needed to prevent the serious burns caused due to a buildup of chemicals from the battery.
Then the search for a gastroenterologist consultant began. Their general physicians, however willing to help, were unable to offer safe facilities for the child’s sedation needed for the battery to be safely removed without hurting the child.
After going from pillar to post and exploring all the options, the parents finally learned about gastroenterologist, Hafeeza Aftab, at Apollo Hospitals Dhaka. After a detailed discussion with the parents on risks benefits, alternatives and complication in case of non-treatment, the parents decided to undergo the procedure, while making arrangements for travelling overseas, as a contingency plan.
Hafeeza immediately began the procedure to retrieve the battery at the hospital’s safe and child-friendly operation theatre, with the availability to sedate and recover the battery without the child feeling a single moment of pain. The procedure was done under one roof with a team of specialists including a specialised pediatric anesthesian and surgeon, with pediatric services round the clock.
The team led by Hafeeza, accepted the challenge assisted by expert technicians and anesthetist, and the battery was retrieved from the stomach of the baby without any complications. Dr Hafeeza expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her colleagues, endoscopy assistant, nurses, management and staff of anesthesia department of Apollo Dhaka.
“It would not have been possible to finish the task without continuous support from our entire anesthesiology team,” said Hafeeza. She also added, “If an accident happens, parents need to seek immediate help. The batteries can also leak a corrosive chemical called alkaline electrolyte and this can damage the delicate lining of the stomach.”
Injuries to children caused by batteries have been documented in the medical literature and by poison control centres for decades. A particular concern is the ingestion of button batteries, especially those greater than or equal to 20mm in diameter (coin size), which can lodge in the esophagus, leading to serious complications or death (refenerence: CDC
