1 hour ago
2
A Colorado mom shared a chilling warning after her daughter swallowed a battery from inside a Christmas gift.
“You can be the most observant, most caring parent in your household but … it can happen,” Jess Sandoval told ABC News from the Children’s Hospital Colorado where her daughter has remained under supervision since Dec. 7.
Button batteries, like the one Elana swallowed, are smaller than a coin and can be found in many different toys, especially those with remote controls. Sandoval hopes to warn parents watching their children unwrap gifts this Christmas to keep an eye out for the dangerous object.
Sandoval’s four-year-old daughter found the battery in a light-up bracelet – one of the gifts handed out to kids at a Christmas-light show earlier that day.
Later, Sandoval and her five children were sitting on the couch, watching “The Grinch”, when her young daughter, Elana, started choking. At first, Sandoval thought she was coughing up some food, but Elana began to cry and told her mom she had actually eaten a small battery.
Sandoval rushed her four-year-old to the hospital, vomiting up foam. When the battery mixes with saliva, it triggers a chemical reaction that burns internal organs, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Elana underwent surgery the next day because the battery had burned a hole in her esophagus.
“[My children] had the bracelet on their hands, so I didn’t think anything of it, because the other toys have screws on them. … [then] I looked at her and she looked at me and I could tell she looked like she was gonna choke,” Sandoval explained, recalling the terrifying moment.
Doctors were able to remove the battery, but Elana was placed in the Intensive Care Unit and needed a feeding tube in order to eat.
“Her prognosis is guarded, as button batteries can cause continued expansion of inflammation and burn even after the battery is removed,” said Dr. Edwin de Zoeten, Elana’s doctor and director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado, to ABC.
“This can lead to a bleed in larger vessels for up to 20-30 days after the battery is removed,” de Zoeten explained.
De Zoeten says lots of toys and objects use button batteries, but many don’t have a screw in place to protect children. If a child does happen to swallow a battery, De Zoeten advises parents bring them to the emergency room immediately while feeding them teaspoons of honey on the way.
“Christmas is coming. Make sure your little ones are careful with any toy that they have. It’s just that one little thing that can make a big difference with those children,” Sandoval said. “I don’t want that to happen to any other parent.”
English (US)