Assault by battery: Battery‐related injury in the head and neck

Abstract

BRI in the head and neck results in a significant amount of ED visits. Mechanisms of injury vary by age and anatomic location, but a considerable male predilection exists. Whereas pediatric patients are primarily affected, particularly patients between 2 to 5 years of age, injuries do occur among adults. Importantly, the prevalence of dislodged hearing-aid batteries in the elderly necessitates comprehensive patient education to increase awareness and counseling regarding this complication. Awareness of demographic and anatomic-specific trends reported in this analysis may be an invaluable adjunct for history-taking and clinical examination.

What are we putting in our ears? A consumer product analysis of aural foreign bodies

“…For example, patients with suboptimal communication capabilities such as young children may be unable to convey the types of objects with which they were playing or around; and different objects may certainly have a varying range of clinical sequelae. For instance, jewelry may be sharp and put patients at risk for canal wall lacerations and even tympanic membrane perforations, whereas the concern for other objects such as batteries may be that harmful chemicals may be expelled and cause permanent damage to surrounding tissues, even leading to necrosis and external auditory canal stenosis . Our analysis reveals that among children of all ages, jewelry was the leading offender responsible for ED visits.…”

“…This stresses the importance of educating adults using these products, particularly individuals with hearing aids. A recent analysis of battery‐related injury in the head and neck noted that among elderly adults, nearly one‐half of injuries from batteries in the head and neck were specifically due to hearing aid batteries becoming dislodged in the external auditory canal; and prior reports reinforce the existence of this trend, noting that some senior citizens may mistake batteries for hearing aids themselves and moreover have considerable difficulty using hearing aids . In addition to pursuing clear verbal communicative strategies educating patients about hearing aid considerations, providing individuals with comprehensive but clearly written patient education materials may facilitate understanding of these risks and possibly even improve outcomes …”

How did that get there? A population‐based analysis of nasal foreign bodies

“…With regard to batteries, a recent analysis by the authors focusing on battery-related injury in the head and neck offers several important points. 18 While the most frequent injuries caused by batteries in the mouth and face encompassed burns and lacerations, respectively, battery injuries to the nose were almost entirely comprised of sequelae from batteries acting as foreign bodies. Specifically, over a third of the approximately 20,000 ED visits for battery-related injuries over a 5-year span encompassed nasal foreign bodies, and these patients tended to be significantly younger (median of 3 years of age) than those presenting for injuries in other anatomic sites.…”

Hockey-related facial injuries: A population-based analysis

“…The Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was accessed for data regarding ED visits for hockey‐related injury. This database has shown its unique value in numerous analyses because it draws data from 100 participating EDs that provide a nationally representative sample of injuries, which are further extrapolated to national estimates using an algorithm created by the NEISS.…”