A toddler who swallowed a tiny lithium battery from car keys almost lost her life. She survived a harrowing ordeal after a surgery but her doctors fear she might never walk.
Kacie had inexplicable diarrhea two months ago and when this escalated to vomiting, her mom, Cheryl Bell, brought her to the hospital. After some tests, doctors told the family Kacie swallowed a tiny lithium battery. The mom knew where it came from as she recalled her car keys' battery fell out.
It took nine days for the hospital staff to flush out the button battery from Kacie's body and eight more days for the toddler to recover before she was discharged. Five days later, however, the family returned to the hospital when Kacie vomited blood.
"The acid from the battery burned through her stomach and two arteries in her back which has left her unable to walk," Bell said, as per Kidspot. Doctors operated on the toddler for over six hours amid a 60-40 chance she could die. Her lower back's arteries and esophagus were severely damaged.
Kacie survived the surgery and underwent recovery for eight more weeks. Doctors told her mom she's paralyzed from the waist down and she won't be out of the hospital for another month.
A lithium battery is a real threat in many homes as it is found in several toys and electronic gadgets. If swallowed, the button batteries could get lodged in the throat and the saliva causes a chemical reaction that could lead to burning.
At least 80 percent of children in America suffered permanent damage from ingesting lithium battery, while 15 kids ended up dead in the last six years, as per the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Kacie's ordeal served as another warning for parents who might disregard the risks of lithium batteries in kids.
Most the time parents are unaware their children have swallowed the batteries. They have to watch out for symptoms like constant crying, decreased interest in eating or drinking, drooling, hoarseness in the voice, vomiting and abdominal pain. Learn more about lithium battery poisoning below.
