Toddler bled to death after secretly swallowing battery from remote despite his paramedic parents’ fight to save him
A TODDLER slowly bled to death after secretly swallowing a battery — despite his paramedic parents’ fight to save him.
Johnathan Huff, 23 months, was initially suspected to have had a viral infection.
But after two trips to the doc he vomited vast amounts of blood and fell unconscious at home.
Dad AJ, 34, performed CPR as mum Jackie, 35, gave him the kiss of life but he died in hospital.
A button battery from a key finder remote was later found in his intestines.
His devastated parents believe he swallowed it on December 16 and it spent four days burning through his organs.
Jackie, of Greensboro, North Carolina, said: “Putting duct tape over the back of the remote could have stopped this.”
"Duct tape is hard for adults to get off, a two-year-old is not going to be able to open it.
"I can't bring back Johnathan, but if there is anything I can do to make more parents search through their homes, then that's something."
Button Batteries — Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Button batteries, also called button cell batteries or coin batteries, are extremely dangerous to children if swallowed, and can be found in toys, remote controls, car keys, musical greetings cards, and small electronic devices such as calculators and weighing scales.
Although a child may not choke, if undetected the batteries can do serious damage to the gastrointestinal system.
When combined with saliva, the electrical current from the battery produces caustic soda that burns through the throat or stomach and can cause further damage to other internal organs.
What should I do if my child swallows a button battery?
If your child swallows a button battery, seek medical advice immediately.
Remember that the saliva in their body will react with the battery and so time is very much of the essence in these cases.
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