4-Year-Old Child Taken to ICU After Playing with Remote Control... 'This' Was Found in the Esophagus

A 4-year-old British boy who was playing with a remote control swallowed a coin-shaped battery and was transported to the hospital. The child underwent surgery to remove the battery stuck in his esophagus and is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit receiving treatment.

Coin-shaped battery removed from the boy's esophagus (left) [Photo by Liverpool Echo]

Button-shaped batteries are small and round, making it easy for children to put them in their mouths and swallow them accidentally, leading to frequent incidents.

On the 2nd, British media outlets The Mirror and Liverpool Echo reported that at the end of last month, a 4-year-old boy on the Isle of Man swallowed a battery and was taken to the hospital.

The boy, who was staying at a relative's house at the time, was playing with a remote control when he accidentally swallowed a coin-sized battery.

Upon realizing the child had swallowed the battery, the family immediately went to the hospital, where an X-ray confirmed the battery was lodged in the esophagus.

The boy was transferred to a specialized children's hospital located in the Liverpool area to undergo surgery.

According to the media, the boy’s father said, “The area where the battery was stuck has many blood vessels nearby and is not far from the heart,” adding, “I didn’t know how the surgery would turn out, and I was scared.”

Ultimately, the boy underwent surgery to remove the battery from his esophagus about 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital.

The media quoted medical staff saying the surgery was successful, but the boy must remain hospitalized for at least three weeks due to potential long-term damage and alkaline leakage from the battery.

The boy’s father said, “After the surgery, the doctor explained that if the battery remained inside the body, it could be fatal,” and added, “My son is still recovering his health in the hospital.”

He advised other parents, “Make sure batteries in remotes or toys are securely fixed and keep them out of children’s reach,” and “If your child swallows a battery, you should go to the emergency room as quickly as possible.”

In fact, battery swallowing incidents frequently occur domestically as well.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency’s 'Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS)' data compiled in 2021, a total of 254 button battery swallowing incidents were reported over 4 years and 7 months from January 2017 to July 2021.

A 12-month-old boy swallowed a 2cm lithium battery inside a thermometer [Photo by Korea Consumer Agency]

Among these, 86% occurred in infants and toddlers aged 0 to 3 years. Incident cases included children taking batteries out of drawers where parents stored them and swallowing them while playing, as well as cases where children disassembled electronic devices themselves and swallowed the batteries inside.

There were also cases where the battery swallowing was only discovered after the child was taken to the hospital for persistent vomiting and an X-ray was performed.

At that time, the Consumer Agency urged, “When purchasing button batteries, buy products with child-resistant packaging, and do not store used batteries in drawers?dispose of them immediately.”

They also advised, “For toys and other items without safety designs such as screws securing the battery compartment, apply tape to prevent the battery from easily falling out.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.