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Aspiration pneumonia and esophagotracheal fistula secondary to button battery ingestion

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Abstract

We report a case of acute bronchopneumonia and esophagotracheal fistula caused by a swallowed button battery in a 3-year-old girl. It was unclear exactly how long the battery had been trapped in the esophagus. The patient had undergone a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy 3 weeks before the battery was finally exposed on an X-ray film. She refused to eat solid food after the surgery and stopped eating completely 10 days later. Three weeks after surgery, she presented to the Emergency Department with vomiting and acute respiratory distress, experienced cardiopulmonary arrest in the intensive care unit and could not be resuscitated. Postmortem examination revealed severe acute bronchopneumonia and massive blood aspiration due to an esophagotracheal fistula secondary to a button battery lodged in the esophagus. This case highlights the importance of including a swallowed button battery in the differential diagnosis of a toddler with dysphagia and anorexia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 1501 Kings Hwy, P.O. Box 33932, Shreveport, LA, 71130-3932, USA

    Delecia R. LaFrance, James G. Traylor Jr. & Long Jin

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  1. Delecia R. LaFrance
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  2. James G. Traylor Jr.
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  3. Long Jin
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Correspondence to Long Jin.

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LaFrance, D.R., Traylor, J.G. & Jin, L. Aspiration pneumonia and esophagotracheal fistula secondary to button battery ingestion. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 7, 283–286 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-010-9214-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-010-9214-5

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