The story of Leslie Bangamba's daughter: The life-threatening dangers of swallowing a button battery (video)

With described video

Transcript

Transcript - The story of Leslie Bangamba's daughter: the life-threatening dangers of swallowing a button battery

Ambulance Dispatch for what town or city?

Caller: Red Deer, Alberta

She’s not breathing now. Please.

Ambulance Dispatch: They are on their way, okay?

How old is she?

Caller: She is 16 months.

Leslie B: My name is Leslie Bangamba and I live in Red Deer, Alberta.

My daughter almost died after she ingested a lithium coin battery.

On screen graphic: Amélie suffered a stroke, two cardiac arrests and required open heart surgery.

Leslie B: It is really hard for me to talk about; even now. I wouldn’t wish for anyone to go through this.

Dr. Matthew Carroll: I am Dr. Matthew Carroll. I am a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta.

This one in the middle is the button battery and you can see it is stuck.

The energy from these button batteries causes tissue damage within about 15 minutes.

From my point of view, button batteries are one of the most dangerous things you can potentially have in your household. They need to stay in the packaging locked up until you are ready to use them. When you remove them from devices or you have a device where it has gone flat; don’t presume that the batteries are dead. They can still  have enough energy in them to create injury. So lock them up somewhere safe. And then, when convenient, drop them off at your local recycling centre.

Make sure you keep them away from kids. Because if they do put them in their mouths we have to treat that as a surgical emergency.

Leslie B: The problem with these batteries is that caregivers don’t realize; I think they equate a battery just lying there as harmless but the reality is that children have died and are still dying from accidentally ingesting these batteries.

On screen graphic: Amélie continues to be monitored by doctors at Edmonton’s Stollery Hospital

On screen graphic

• Know which devices use button batteries.
• Keep new and used batteries out of sight and reach of children.
• Regularly check that battery compartments are secure. 
• Dispose of used batteries quickly and properly.
• Go immediately to the nearest emergency department if a battery is swallowed.

A message from the Government of Canada