A 2-year-old child presents for endoscopic removal of a button battery lodged in the esophagus. The patient was transported from a location two hours away and received 60 mL of honey en route. The battery ingestion occurred approximately one hour prior to transport. According to a recent review article, which of the following statements is MOST likely true for this patient?
Ingestion of button batteries can be difficult to diagnose in children because the symptoms are often nonspecific and the ingestion may not have been witnessed. The rates of major morbidity and mortality after button battery ingestion have increased markedly since 2006, when 3-volt, 20-mm lithium batteries were introduced. These rates have been reported to be as high as 12.6% in children younger than 6 years. When lithium batteries come in contact with tissue, current flows through the tissue between the positive and negative poles of the battery, splitting water...
