Button Battery with Magnet Ingestion in an Infant: Dual Peril – A Case Report

Foreign body ingestion is common among children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. Nearly 80% will pass throughuneventfully and 20% will require some intervention, mostly endoscopic removal. Button batteries and magnets are frequentcomponents of children’s toys and a potential hazard for the child. We are reporting such a case and the complications whichfollowed, with a view to increasing public awareness.

Multiple magnet ingestion: The attractive hazards

Foreign body ingestion among children is common and most usually pass through the gastrointestinal tract without requiring any intervention. Magnets, however, pose a greater threat especially when more than one are ingested. We report a case of multiple bowel perforation secondary to ingestion of magnetic beads in a 3-year-old.

A Case of Ingesting Multiple Magnets Removed by Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Foreign body ingestion is common in children, but magnet ingestion is rare. Ingestion of one magnet does not creat a serious problem; however, ingesting multiple magnet can lead to hazardous complications such as pressure necrosis, intestinal perforation, fistula formation, obstruction and intestinal volvulus. Most cases with complications after multiple magnet ingestion require surgical intervention. We report a case of a fistula following the ingestion of seven small, flat and round magnets that were removed successfully by endoscopic submucosal dissection without surgery.

A Case of Gastroduodenal Fistula Caused byIngested Magnetic Foreign Bodies / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

If multiple magnets are ingested, the potential exists for the magnets attracting one another across the gastrointestinal tract and inducing pressure necrosis, perforation, fistula formation, or intestinal obstruction. We report the case of a 12-year-old boy who suffered from a fistulous communication between the lesser curvature of the mid-body of the stomach and the duodenal bulb, caused by 4 ingested magnets (Singing Magnets, China). The patient presented with moderate mental retardation, a one-year history of cyclic vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. We present the findings of simple abdominal radiography, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, computed tomography, and upper gastrointestinal series. An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed, which revealed a gastroduodenal fistula. Fistula repair and the removal of 4 magnetic toys were subsequently performed. We emphasize that clinicians who care for children should be aware of the hazards of magnetic toy ingestion.