More Kids in ER from Swallowing Batteries

Umar, 3, likes chocolate biscuits and orange juice.
In last September, all of this changed when he took in lithium batteries.
His parents never really saw him swallow the battery, but they began to wonder when they noticed that Umar was particularly sleepy, lying in bed and breathing but not moving.
\"Umar is a super kid ---
\"It\'s confusing and scary at the same time,\" said Sonia Khan, Uma\'s mother . \".
\"It\'s frustrating because we don\'t know what\'s wrong with him.
\"His parents immediately sent him to the emergency room, where there was a chest x-ray was taken.
The doctor found something in his esophagus that was originally considered a button.
But when the doctor took him to the operating room, they found that his esophagus was seriously damaged because it turned out to be a lithium battery.
\"I broke down,\" said Sonia Khan . \".
\"I broke in.
I heard everything, but I can\'t believe it.
The battery ate a hole in his esophagus.
Therefore, in the next three months, Umar must receive all his nutrients by connecting directly to the tube of his stomach.
\"It\'s hard for him,\" his mother said . \".
\"He didn\'t understand why he couldn\'t eat.
We all had to hide food from him.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday showed that Umar\'s life
Threatening torture is becoming more and more common.
Specifically, the study found that the number of children brought to the emergency room with battery charging was increasing.
In the past 20 years, there have been more than 65,000 visits involving children who have taken in batteries.
Button batteries are the culprit in most cases.
With the increasing number of devices powered by small lithium batteries, these micro batteries are becoming more and more common-
Shiny Buttonssized variety --
Enter our home.
What makes these batteries so dangerous?
Part of the problem is that lithium batteries are particularly attractive to children\'s eyes because they can mimic candy and can be easily put into small mouths, ears or noses.
Occasionally, if a child swallows one of these batteries, it can pass through his or her body without accident.
This is not always the case. Dr.
Ian Jacobs, associate professor of otolaryngology at Penn University in Philadelphia, is one of the doctors who take care of Umar.
If the lithium battery stays in the esophagus for more than two hours, the battery will corrosion through the soft tissue of the esophagus and form a hole, he said.
It could be fatal.
Surviving children still face serious health problems.
They may experience permanent paralysis of the vocal cords, which may deprive them of their language forever.
It can also be harmful if these batteries are stored elsewhere.
They may burn cartilage through the nose or ears, causing hearing loss or difficulty breathing. Dr.
Toby litowice, executive and medical director, National Poison Center, Washington, D. C. C.
, Conducted extensive research on major and fatal results related to button battery charging, and maintained a national database on these and other events.
In another study, she found that from 1985 to 2009, there were almost 7-
The percentage of the button battery charge has doubled, with major or fatal results.
So what can parents do to prevent these potentially fatal diseases?
The first step is to keep the children out of touch with the battery.
Lithium batteries can be found in laptops, iPads, remote control car keys, calculators, cameras, scales, digital thermometers, talk books, video games and even music greeting cards.
Litovitz advises parents to \"be vigilant and look at every product in the home to see if it has a battery box that will open the child and [
If so, make sure it is]
Fixed with heavy tape.
If not, it needs to be treated like a drug-
High above, out of reach, locked up.
\"If parents suspect that their children are getting batteries ---
Or anything else--
They should take them to the nearest emergency room right away.
According to the new study, most of the intake is unknown, and the signs of intake are not specific to the intake.
Other tips for parents include: if you see your child drooling, having difficulty swallowing or vomiting, take him or her to the emergency room for assessment.
Don\'t guess if anything is taken in.
Let the doctor in the emergency room decide.
Time is critical for battery charging.
Both Jacobs and Litovitz stress that if you don\'t take your child to the operating room within two hours, the result can be fatal. Umar was lucky.
The hole in his esophagus naturally healed, and today he began to eat his favorite chocolate cookies and drink his orange juice.
He started kindergarten in February and his mother Sonia Khan said he did a good job.
\"Back to his active and fun self! \" she said.