Choking cases uptake in children calls for stricter parental vigilance

DUBAI: Doctors at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, have noted a significant rise in the number of children suffering potentially fatal aerodigestive aspiration or ingestions. The increase in the number of children having these lodged foreign objects has prompted medics to urge parental vigilance at home, especially in regard to the safe storage of magnets and button batteries.

The hospital reported more than 50 cases of foreign object removal from the airway or digestive tract of children in 2021 and nine cases this year. Although most small objects swallowed by children – marbles, buttons and earrings etc – will usually pass through the digestive system without serious issue, doctors warn coin cells and magnets pose a far more dangerous prospect.

“Parents must be extremely attentive to where small, harmful objects can be found around their homes,” said Dr. Safeena Kherani, Consultant in Paediatric Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, the UAE’s first multidisciplinary programme that includes paediatric specialists in pulmonology, ENT, gastroenterology, anaesthesiology, feeding, swallowing, and nutrition. The hazards caused by swallowed foreign bodies can cause complex aerodigestive disorders that affect both the pulmonary and gastrointestinal systems. 

Dr. Christos Tzivinikos, Gastroenterology Consultant with the Aerodigestive Service also explains that button batteries are exceptionally small and easy to swallow, but they can have severe consequences. When reacting with bodily fluids, such as saliva or mucus, these batteries can create a strong chemical reaction in the throat or stomach, leading to severe internal bleeding and a host of other issues.”

Any swallowed object can get trapped in the oesophagus before reaching the stomach, requiring expert medical treatment at a specialised aerodigestive hospital to ensure safe removal. Batteries and magnets can burn through the oesophagus within two hours, meaning early detection is often the difference between a quick and complete recovery and long-term consequences.

Dr. Kherani further highlights that diagnosis can be especially difficult in infants unable to explain what they swallowed. Therefore, with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in children spending more time at home and technology more accessible than ever, medics are insisting that parents– even while juggling childcare and remote work – must be more vigilant than ever.

Dr. Ibrar Majid, Medical Director at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, said, “Children come first at our hospital, which is why we are sharing this message as a reminder to parents, especially those with children under the age of six, to be extremely careful with small items around their homes, especially batteries, magnets and other metals. Store them out of the reach of children.

A child who has swallowed a foreign object should be taken immediately to a specialist for treatment as aerodigestive disorders are generally complex and require a multidisciplinary approach to their management.”

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