Warning: Button battery foreign body, an unpredictable danger for children

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If a foreign body in the nose is an emergency in the field of Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), then a button battery lodged in the nose is a critical emergency. Nowadays, with the strong development of science and technology, and the increase in electronic devices using button batteries (coin cell batteries), the risk of children inserting batteries into their noses while playing or swallowing them into the digestive tract is increasing, especially in children aged 1 to 3 years. The Interdisciplinary Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat – Hai Phong International Pediatric Center has successfully received, examined, and treated many children with button battery foreign bodies in their noses.

At around 10 AM on November 13, 2023, the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic – Hai Phong International Pediatric Center received a 6-year-old patient, V.H.Q, in a condition of right nasal pain and black nasal discharge. According to the family’s account, one day before hospitalization, the child was playing with a button battery, and then the family noticed the child had nasal pain and black nasal discharge. The child was immediately examined by doctors using nasal endoscopy, which revealed a button battery foreign body in the right nasal cavity. The foreign body was quickly removed by the doctors, and it had caused blackening and necrosis of the entire nasal mucosa at the site where the foreign body was located. After the foreign body was removed and the necrotic area was treated, the child stabilized and was discharged.

 

Nasal button battery foreign bodies are a critical emergency in the field of Ear, Nose, and Throat because they can cause rapid and severe nasal damage and may leave serious sequelae afterward. Unlike other inorganic foreign bodies, when a battery is lodged in the nose, it can lead to a series of complications such as ulceration and gradual necrosis of the mucosa and nasal septal cartilage, leading to adhesions that narrow or block the nasal cavity, causing difficulty in breathing. Sometimes, necrosis can cause perforation of the nasal septum, severely affecting nasal function. The mechanism of rapid and severe damage caused by button batteries is due to the fact that when the battery is lodged in the nose, it remains active, and an alkaline reaction occurs at the negative pole, leading to chemical burns in the nose. Additionally, the nose can be further damaged due to metal toxicity and other chemicals leaking from the battery. The extent of nasal damage depends on the size of the foreign body, the freshness of the foreign body, and the time taken to remove the foreign body. Notably, if a button battery remains lodged for just 30 minutes or more, it can cause damage to the mucosa at the site of the foreign body.

Therefore, actively preventing button battery foreign bodies in young children in the community is very important. In daily life, parents, teachers, and caregivers must be very attentive and effectively control to prevent children from playing with, inserting batteries into their noses, holding, or swallowing button batteries or electronic devices that use batteries. When discovering that a child has inserted a battery into their nose or swallowed a battery, it is necessary to quickly take the child to the nearest medical facility with an ENT specialty for the earliest possible treatment to avoid serious and regrettable sequelae later on.

Parents who wish to have an Ear-Nose-Throat examination can register for an examination at the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic (Room 218 – 2nd Floor) at Hai Phong International Pediatric Center located at 124 Nguyen Duc Canh, Le Chan, Hai Phong. For any inquiries that require consultation, please contact the HOTLINE: 0225 385 9999 for the fastest support.

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