Swallowing Button Battery Could Cause Serious Injury, Death

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  • Author Penn Holsing
  • Published May 1, 2012
  • Word count 553

Children, chiefly very young children, are widely known for placing objects in their mouths. Choking is not the only hazard to be on guard of when your little one has ingested some thing he shouldn't have -- the occurrences of button battery injuries from accidental ingesting is escalating all around the United States, and these can be critical, even deadly, events.

Over 3,500 people of various age groups unexpectedly eat these tiny, disc-shaped items yearly in the U.S.. Most are around the proportions of a coin, and more often than not they will travel through the digestive tract and be eliminated in the stool, by no means resulting in any problems. Sadly, this is not 100 percent the case.

In the event that you or a loved one has been injured or has died from a swallowed button battery, you can be entitled to a settlement. A button battery injury lawyer will be able to help in determining if you have a case.

Swallowing Button Batteries Could Be Hazardous

If ingested, button batteries could be wedged in the esophagus. When that takes place, an electrical current can form around the outside of the device and emit hydroxide, resulting in critical internal injuries, damaged tissues, chemical burns, and even death in some scenarios.

Once burning of the esophagus commences, the devastation can continue even if the device is dislodged. Symptoms of button battery injuries can involve coughing, drooling and discomfort, which closely resembles other child ailments.

Around eleven girls and boys have died in the last 6 years because of eating these items. Others have experienced the severe button battery injuries mentioned above. So, how do you prevent these incidents from happening?

Where Will I Find Button Batteries And How Could I Safeguard Them?

These little batteries turn up in an array of normal household items, a lot of which you might not exactly know, such as:

  1. Watches

  2. Remotes

  3. Key-less entry devices

  4. Hearing aids

  5. Greetings cards with audio messages

  6. Bathroom scales

  7. Games

  8. Calculators

To prevent unintended ingestion, the National Capital Poison Center advises discarding these items with care, storing them out of your kid's grasp all of the time, and ensuring that any electronic devices that use them have a battery pocket that is secured by a screw or taped shut. Additionally, always monitor medication right before ingesting them -- adults have been known to accidentally swallow these items, as they are little and can be incorrectly recognized as pills or tablets.

How To Respond If Button Battery Swallowed

It's imperative to have an idea how to proceed if a child swallowed a battery. The following actions might assist in saving you or your daughter's or son's life if there is inadvertent consumption.

  1. Dial up the 24-hour National Battery Ingestion Hotline SWIFTLY. The phone number is 202-635-3334, and you may call collect if needed; or phone the poison center at 800-222-1222.

  2. When phoning, try to have the device's identification number available. It could be located on the package or from a matching battery.

  3. Mostly, have an X-ray without delay. This is required to make certain that the device has went past the esophagus.

  4. No consuming food or drink until an X-ray is acquired. Vomiting SHOULD NOT be induced.

  5. In the event that vomiting, bloody stool, fever or abdominal pain is noticed, report it immediately.

The button battery attorney at Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris L.L.P. are the most trained in the U.S. in these types of cases. Call them immediately to learn more about lawsuits against button battery injuries.

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