Doctors at Rela Hospital here have managed to remove a 5-cm battery through endoscopy from the stomach of a four-year-old boy, who accidentally swallowed it.
A release by the hospital said the boy, who told his parents that he had swallowed the battery, was referred by a doctor who sensed the urgency after seeing the x-ray. The x-ray showed the battery lodged in the stomach.
R. Ravi, group director and senior gastroenterologist at the hospital, said while children accidentally swallowing buttons, coins and button batteries was common, this instance of a child swallowing a AA size battery was rare. “Large objects and sharp objects are difficult to remove as they can damage the food pipe while being removed with endoscopy,” he said.
He said the endoscopy was particularly challenging as the battery had to be vertically aligned to ensure that it did not cause any damage to the food pipe. “We did an endoscopy using a retriever and it took a considerable amount of time to remove the battery without causing any damage to internal organs,” he said.
The release said if the boy did not alert his parents and if the battery had remained inside the stomach, it could have eroded due to the acid formed in the stomach and could led to serious complications.
