Baby airlifted from North Jeolla Province to Busan after swallowing coin battery

A lithium coin battery swallowed by a 9-month-old infant (left) and an X-ray taken during examination. [Inje University Busan Paik Hospital]

A 9-month-old baby who swallowed a lithium coin battery was airlifted by a fire department helicopter from North Jeolla Province to Busan for emergency treatment. Lithium coin batteries often cause no immediate symptoms after being swallowed, making them easy to overlook, but they can cause serious damage to the esophagus and other organs.

According to Inje University Busan Paik Hospital, a 9-month-old boy living in North Jeolla Province swallowed a 12-millimeter lithium coin battery Saturday around noon while playing with a toy in his car seat.

The infant was taken to a nearby hospital, but emergency endoscopic treatment was not available there and a transfer was needed. Finding a hospital capable of providing pediatric emergency care was particularly difficult because of a three-day holiday period.

The regional emergency medical center at Busan Paik Hospital agreed to accept the patient. The baby was flown to Busan by a North Jeolla Province fire department helicopter, transferred to an ambulance at Dongseo University's athletic field, and arrived at Busan Paik Hospital at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Medical staff immediately performed an emergency endoscopy and removed the lithium battery from the infant's stomach. The baby recovered without complications and was discharged, according to the hospital.

Yu Seung-jeong, a gastroenterology professor who performed the endoscopy, said the battery had remained in the stomach and fortunately had not corroded significantly, allowing for removal without major complications. "Even if there are no symptoms after swallowing, or if the battery is smaller than 2 centimeters, prompt action is still necessary," he added.

41% of children who swallow lithium coin batteries develop bleeding, redness or ulcers

Esophageal damage in a child five days after swallowing a lithium coin battery. [Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition]

The urgency of a rapid response stems from the nature of lithium coin batteries themselves. They have a long lifespan and are widely used, but their voltage is twice that of alkaline batteries, making them more likely to damage internal organs. Adding to the danger, swallowing one often produces no symptoms even as the battery passes into the esophagus, stomach or duodenum.

A 2021 study by Shim Jeong-ok, a pediatric gastroenterology professor at Korea University Guro Hospital, examined 76 children with an average age of 3.1 years who had swallowed foreign objects. Coins were the most commonly swallowed item, accounting for 22.4 percent of cases (17 cases), followed by lithium coin batteries at 15.8 percent (12 cases). Among all foreign objects in the study, lithium coin batteries were associated with the worst symptoms and outcomes.

The research found that 41 percent of children who swallowed a lithium coin battery developed complications including bleeding, redness and ulcers. In one case, a child had a lithium coin battery lodged in the upper esophageal sphincter. Even though it was removed within two hours of being swallowed, the child suffered severe bleeding and burns to the mucous membrane that ultimately led to deep ulceration.

"If a lithium coin battery becomes lodged in a young child's esophagus in particular, it is an emergency requiring immediate endoscopic removal," Shim said. "As soon as you become aware of it, take the child to an emergency room for an X-ray and follow-up treatment."

bbo@heraldcorp.com