Button Batteries
Definition
Button batteries are small (less than one centimeter in diameter) batteries usually used to power wrist watches and small clocks. Children often accidentally inhale or swallow them due to their size and availability.
Symptoms & Signs
Inhaled batteries may cause cough, respiratory distress, or even complete respiratory failure. If the aspiration is undetected, it may manifest later as a pneumonia.
Swallowed batteries may cause no symptoms at all, but if they become lodged in the esophagus or stomach, they may cause chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, vomiting blood, severe cardiovascular collapse due to esophageal perforation, or death.
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