All of the following preclude expectant outpatient management in the case of an ingested button battery found by imaging to be in the stomach except:
A. Co-ingestion of a magnet
B. Child complains of abdominal pain
C. Child has history of constipation
D. Battery is > 15mm diameter and has been present > 4 days in a child < 6 years old
E. N/A; ingested batteries should always be endoscopically removed
Loading ...
October 30, 2016 at 9:21 pm
Answer: C. National Battery Ingestion Hotline algorithm advocates outpatient management with observation of stools x 10-14 days for passage if: > 12 years old and battery 15mm and ingested by a child < 6 years old, repeat xray in 4 days is recommended, with endoscopic removal if still in stomach. Any battery in the esophagus should be removed immediately, preferably by endoscopy.
Check out the National Battery Ingestion Hotline algorithm here: http://pemsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/battery-guideline-May-7-bw-with-flowchart.pdf