More young children are swallowing lithium batteries, doctors warn

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A new study finds that cases of lithium-ion batteries being swallowed by young children is on the rise sending them to emergency rooms all over the country.

"It can be very alarming certainly when someone comes in with symptoms it can be very scary," said Dr. Jim Getzinger, Beaumont medicine. "Children can have symptoms ranging from not wanting to eat, to vomiting blood."

Doctors say when someone swallows a battery like this it doesn’t mean it’s inactive - and it could be deadly.

"It can be fatal - it’s one of these things that has the potential to perforate and anytime there’s perforation in the body it can lead to death," he said,

The area of most concern is the tube that carries food and liquids from your mouth to the stomach.

"The battery sits and it starts to erode through," Getzinger said. "It eats away at the esophagus until it perforates it and it goes into an area not designed to handle the acid. It basically eats away at the esophagus until it perforates it and it goes into an area not designed to handle the acid."

Dr. Getzinger says he’s seen it happen way too often

"Numerous times," he said. "We call our surgeons, they come in, and they do an endoscopy and safely remove it."

Doctors say it’s important to store batteries in a safe place away from young kids.

"Be very careful of these items - make sure they’re put in a spot so they cannot get to them," he said. "And when they’re used up make sure they’re disposed of properly."