Diagnosis and Management of Button Battery Ingestion Complicated by Tracheo-Esophageal and Aorto-Esophageal Fistulas

Abstract

Button battery ingestion (BBI) is common in children and its prevalence has increased in the last decades. BBI can be responsible for very severe and potentially fatal complications if not promptly detected. We describe the successful management of two cases of BBI that occurred in two previously healthy infants. Both patients presented with vague symptoms and no witness of foreign body ingestion. The prolonged time of exposure to the corrosive effects of disk batteries was responsible for the development of tracheo-esophageal fistula (TEF) and aorto-esophageal fistula (AEF). We demonstrate how prompt diagnosis and management are crucial for the infants’ survival.

Keywords

• foreign bodies
• endoscopy
• computed tomography
• X-ray
• esophageal fistula
• pediatric emergency medicine