Christmas gifts: watch out for flat batteries with children! – Health

From watches and car keys to calculators, remote controls and hearing aids, button batteries are present in many everyday objects. They are also in lots of children’s toys : electronic games, hand-spinner (hand spinning top), musical cards…

Because of their shape and shine, button batteries attract children. But, as the Ministry of Health points out, “the ingestion of a button battery represents a serious risk that can be fatal. It can be responsible for suffocation, but also for very serious complications (perforation, haemorrhage, etc.). These accidents mainly affect infants and children under 5 years of age.
The High Health Authority (HAS) and the Society of Clinical Toxicology (STC) also mention the risk of “serious complications” and a “vital emergency” if the battery remains stuck in the digestive tract, then causing “a severe esophageal burn” .

and a battery?

“In the event of ingestion, even supposed, of a button battery”, the Ministry of Health indicates that it is necessary contact a poison control center or the Samu as soon as possible (15) and tell “explicitly to your interlocutor that there is a risk of ingesting a button battery”.

Other important points specified by the ministry: do not give food or drink to your child and do not try to induce vomiting.
Last recommendation: take the object and/or the packaging it was in, to help the doctor identify the type of battery.
Upon arrival at the emergency room or at a doctor’s office, a chest x-ray will be taken to confirm ingestion of the battery and determine its location.

While accidents are more and more frequent, as Florence Campeotto, a pediatrician specializing in gastroenterology at the Necker-Enfants Malades hospital, reminded Le Parisien in September, the Ministry of Health recommends that parents :
– ” Keep button batteries out of reach of your children, even if they are in their packaging, or if the battery is dead
“.

– “Prefer the purchase of products whose battery compartment is secure (presence of a screw or a locking device requiring manipulation to open)”.
– “Make sure that the battery compartment of the products is well secured and cannot be opened by your children (screws tight, locking system engaged, etc.).