Mercury Poisoning after Disc-battery Ingestion

Abstract

<jats:p> 1 A case is described of a 2-year-old girl who swallowed an alkaline disc battery containing mercuric oxide. Two days after ingestion it disintegrated in the stomach necessitating laparotomy to remove the battery casing and most of its contents. </jats:p><jats:p> 2 Postoperatively her blood mercury concentration rose to 340 μg/l and subsequently she developed small bowel obstruction due to adhesions. She was treated wth dimercaprol but blood mercury concentrations did not fall until after a second laparotomy to relieve the obstruction and to remove residual mercury salts from the colon. </jats:p><jats:p> 3 The corrosive effects of swallowed disc batteries are well documented. The maximum blood concentration of mercury reported in this case is 17 times the 'acceptable level of mercury in the blood' and nearly double the highest level recorded previously after disc-battery ingestion. </jats:p><jats:p> 4 A policy for management of swallowed batteries is suggested. </jats:p>

Swallowed Foreign Bodies in Children: Aspects of Management

“…Another complication of these mercury salts is acute mercury poisoning. 20 None of our patients presented with a swallowed disc battery. These types of foreign bodies should be treated aggressively.…”

Foreign Body Inhalation: A Case of Mistaken Identity?

“…The reported complications of button battery ingestion include mercury poisoning, burns, esophageal stricture, perforation, tracheoesophageal fistula, aortoesophageal fistula, and hemorrhage (2,3,(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). The likelihood of these complications varies with the site, thus the need for intervention to remove a button battery depends upon its site and the symptoms.…”

Device for the Removal of Button Batteries.

“…Yamashita (12) noted that due attention must be paid to the eroding effect and the possible anaphylactic reaction due to iron, although there may be no possibility of metallic poisoning with those amountsof the substances contained in the batteries. Mant et al reported a case in which mercury concentrations in the blood and urine became abnormally high as a result of collapse of an erroneously ingested mercury battery within the gastrointestinal tract ( 13). Erroneous ingestion of a battery might cause no safety problem, if it is designed in a way that it mayhave an electronic conduction flowing through the leading wire but no ion conduction.…”