A button battery is being blamed for causing a Valley family quite a scare after their toddler swallowed one from a holiday decoration.
Lindsay Ellis, of Glendale, said her 14-month-old son Alexander ingested the battery back in May.
Ellis rushed her son to Banner Thunderbird Hospital.
She said hospital staff recommended that her son eat food and see whether the battery would pass naturally.
"I said to my husband, ‘This doesn't feel right to me,’” Ellis said.
Acting on her gut instinct and her primary care pediatrician’s advice, she rushed her son to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Doctors there determined the battery had to come out.
Doctors found the battery was breaking down, leaking acid into Alex’s body and burning his stomach.
"You have to question everything. If it doesn't feel right, you have to say something,” Ellis said.
Banner Thunderbird declined to go on camera, but did provided this written statement:
“While we are pleased to hear that Alexander is in excellent health, we're sorry for the anxiety this situation caused his family. In response to your inquiry, the care and advice we provided in this case was appropriate. In determining the best course of treatment for Alexander, a pediatric gastroenterology specialist was consulted, as were the experts at the National Battery Ingestion Hotline in Washington, D.C.”
Each year, about 5,000 children nationwide end up in emergency rooms after swallowing batteries. Ellis said her son didn’t suffer any permanent damage and will be OK.
