ALEXANDRIA, Virginia —The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) along with a growing number of endorsing medical societies and organizations have called on battery manufacturers to act immediately to bring a safe button or coin cell battery to the consumer marketplace to mitigate the life-threatening results and risks when these batteries are lodged in the body.
Currently, no battery manufacturer sells a safe button or coin cell battery, nor has made the public commitment to produce them. These seemingly innocuous objects can cause life-threatening tissue injuries of the esophagus, trachea, or major vasculature. Swallowing a battery or applying a battery to a moist tissue surface can result in injury because the current of the battery causes rapid production of hydroxide at the battery’s negative pole. This will damage and liquefy the lining of the esophagus, nose, or ear drum, resulting in a severe burn or perforation.
“With the holidays upon us, the exposure and risk are even greater as toys, decorations, and electronics are powered by these types of batteries. Too many children have already been harmed and other children continue to remain at risk in their households. The battery manufacturers have the opportunity and responsibility to step up and ensure that widespread industry and consumer adoption of a safe battery technology will prevent children from severe injuries or death,” said James C. Denneny III, MD, AAO-HNS Executive Vice President and CEO.
This risk is real, and this risk is growing. Over the last few decades, there has been a notable increase in miniaturized electronics—remote controls, toys, holiday decorations, tea candles, key fobs, greeting cards, and other devices powered by these batteries. It is estimated that every 75 minutes, a child under 18 years old presents to an emergency department in the United States with a battery-related complaint; unfortunately, this incidence has more than doubled in the last decade.1
“The clock is ticking from the moment a button battery becomes lodged in the body, and serious injury can occur in as little as two hours,” said Kris Jatana, MD, AAO-HNS member and Surgical Director of Clinical Outcomes and Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University.
With the most recent endorsement by the American College of Surgeons of the Position Statement on Button and Coin Battery Technology,2 there are now 12 organizations and societies behind this effort to eliminate the risk button and coin cell batteries cause in the pediatric community. The full list of organizations supporting the Position Statement include: American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Broncho-Esophagological Association, American College of Surgeons, American Pediatric Surgical Association, American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, European Laryngological Society, European Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Global Industry Research Collaborative, North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Society for Ear Nose and Throat Advancement in Children, and The Triological Society.
Consumer information: If anyone ingests a battery, immediately call the 24-hour National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 1-800-498-8666. To be prepared and learn more about what to do should your child swallow a battery, visit https://www.poison.org/battery.
References
1Chandler MD, Ilyas K, Jatana KR, Smith GA, McKenzie LB, MacKay JM. Pediatric Battery-Related Emergency Department Visits in the United States: 2010-2019. Pediatrics. 2022;150(3):e2022056709.
2AAO-HNS Position Statement: Button and Coin Battery Technology, published October 6, 2023, accessed October 30, 2024 https://www.entnet.org/resource/position-statement-button-and-coin-battery-technology/.
About the AAO-HNS
The AAO-HNS/F is one of the world’s largest organizations representing specialists who treat the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. Otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeons diagnose and treat medical disorders that are among the most common affecting patients of all ages in the United States and around the world. Those medical conditions include chronic ear disease, hearing and balance disorders, hearing loss, sinusitis, snoring and sleep apnea, allergies, swallowing disorders, nosebleeds, hoarseness, dizziness, and tumors of the head and neck as well as aesthetic and reconstructive surgery and intricate micro-surgical procedures of the head and neck. The Academy has approximately 13,000 members.