Frequency and Complications of Button Battery Cell as Foreign Body in Esophagus

Abstract

Background: Foreign bodies are commonly impacted in the esophagus and button battery cells are one of the foreign bodies, which could be found.

Objective: To find out the frequency and complications of button battery cell intake, among the cases of esophageal foreign bodies.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, from December 2017 to November 2018. After getting anesthesia fitness, rigid endoscopy was performed to remove the foreign body in 250 cases. Nasogastric intubation was done kept in place for two weeks before starting oral sips. Antibiotics, steroids, and H₂ receptor antagonists were given in cases of the battery cell. Age, type of foreign body, endoscopic findings, level of impaction, and type of complication were documented. Data was put in SPSS 23 and analyzed.

Results: Out of 250 cases of foreign bodies in the esophagus, there were 50 (20%) cases of button battery intake, with an age range from 8 months to 8 years. The delay between ingestion and presentation ranged from 3 hours to 28 days. Out of 50 cases of button battery in the esophagus, 20 (40%) developed some complications; One patient developed tracheo-esophageal fistula, 5 developed strictures, 1 developed hydropneumothorax, 2 developed vocal cord paresis, 1 developed stricture as well as aspiration pneumonia and 10 developed minor complications while one patient expired.

Conclusion: This study showed that the button battery in the esophagus is quite common in children, which warrants the prompt identification and removal of impacted battery to avoid complications.