Disk Battery Ingestion: A Simple User-Guide

Abstract

Introduction: Disk Battery Ingestion (DBI) is a cause of access to the emergency department (ED), especially in pediatric age. This problem, if not well managed, may lead to serious injuries, with several complications involving the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

Objective: The aim of this review is to analyze the literature of the last 25 years to make a decisional flow-chart that may help the emergency physician.

Methods: For this review, 36 articles have been analyzed (8 articles and 28 case reports), from 1995 to 2019. Data considered from each study included year of publication, type of study, population studied, type of battery, timing of ingestion, treatment, outcomes, complications.

Results: A decisional flow-chart has been configured. X-ray should be performed as the first step in every stable patient, meanwhile CT scan should be performed in unstable patients. When the battery is still localized in the esophagus, endoscopy should be performed as soon as possible, meanwhile, when the battery is beyond the esophagus, its diameter should be noted before taking a decision.

Conclusion: The use of the flow-chart proposed may reduce the risk of worse consequences and severe injuries for the patients, helping the emergency physician in his decisional process.

Keywords: Disk; battery; emergency; endoscopy; flow chart; ingestion.