Toddler rushed for life-saving operation after X-ray revealed battery lodged in her throat

Paul Sims

Published: 22:30, 8 Sep 2019
Updated: 22:47, 8 Sep 2019

A TODDLER was rushed for a life-saving operation after an X-ray revealed a battery lodged in her throat.

Surgeons said two-year-old Elsie-Rose Duffy was in a race against time because it had started burning.

Mum Kirsty was told to give her daughter Elsie-Rose 'one last kiss' by doctorsCredit: Glen Minikin - The Sun

Medics said the electrical current of the battery was mixing with her saliva which was burning through her throatCredit: Glen Minikin - The Sun

Mum Kirsty, 29, had taken her to hospital with severe stomach pains and the button battery was spotted stuck near the top of the child’s oesophagus.

Medics said the electrical current was mixing with saliva to produce caustic soda which was burning through her throat.

Surgeons, with a cardiac arrest team, carefully removed the penny-sized lithium battery. She is expected to recover fully and is now back home.

But mum-of-four Kirsty said: “The doctors told us her chances of survival were akin to walking across a busy motorway without being struck by a car.

'ONE LAST KISS'

“They told me to give her one last kiss before she went in. That’s how bad they thought it was.

“They didn’t think she would make it. If it had been left any longer, the chances are she would not be with us today. It’s a miracle she’s still alive.”

The single mum, of Barnsley, added: “They reckon she swallowed it about 24 hours before. It had done a lot of damage.”

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Kirsty is unsure how Elsie-Rose, who was taken from Sheffield Children’s Hospital to Leeds General Infirmary for the surgery, got hold of the battery but suspects it was left out in one of the kids’ bedrooms.

They can be found in toys, remote controls, car keys, musical greetings cards, calculators and weighing scales.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital consultant Mike Thomson warned: “There has been a rise in children across the UK being injured as a result of button battery ingestion.” The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents wants better warnings on packages.