Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/n-VPKjhnrRU If a child swallows a button battery that has passed into the stomach, a study to be presented to the Digestive Disease Week annual meeting concludes that the ingested object must be removed quickly to prevent damage to the gastrointestinal tract linings.  Current recommendations suggest wait and see to allow the battery to pass through the gastrointestinal system.  These tiny coin-shaped batteries are found in small electronic devices including toys, key fobs, talking greeting cards, watches, and hearing aids. A study by the Children’s Hospital Colorado that presents data from 68 kids treated at children’s hospitals in that state, Florida, and Ohio.  The findings indicate that acid released by these ingested batteries leads to corrosive stomach lining injuries 60% of the time. Because of this damage, the authors’ recommendation for immediate removal of the coin battery is far more aggressive and proactive than the current wait and see guidelines issued by the North Amer