Oesophageal complication from button battery ingestion in an infant.

The substantial risks of button battery ingestion in children have been known to clinicians for some time. Modern button batteries are twice as large (20 mm rather than 10 mm) and twice as powerful (3 V rather than 1.5 V) as older batteries. Ingestion of modern batteries causes earlier and more severe tissue injury, as these larger batteries are more likely to impact at areas of physiological narrowing. A high index of suspicion for ingestion, use of appropriate imaging and early removal of batteries is necessary to prevent complications.