Accidental Ingestion of Hearing Aid with Exposed Battery

Abstract

A 59-year-old female presented to the emergency department (ED) three days after accidental ingestion of an intact in-the-ear hearing aid. This is the first report of ingestion of a complete hearing aid traveling past the gastroesophageal junction. Of concern was the exposed battery attached to the hearing aid that had advanced minimally in the three days since last evaluation. This case report discusses her ED testing, including gastroenterology consultation, and ultimately retrieval from her distal stomach. The authors conclude that this removal was not medically necessary.