Beware of Children and Pets Who may Swallow Hearing Aid Batteries

Swallowing Hearing Aid Batteries can cause Chemical and Electrical Burns

Children are very curious people, so when they encounter something like a coin, small plastic toys, or a hearing aid battery, one of their first reactions is to place it in their mouth, and then possibly swallow it. While kids are spending more time at home, please remember that those button/disc batteries - which are smaller than a U.S. dime - can potentially be deadly if swallowed.

Children can sustain chemical and electrical burns from swallowing batteries, so please keep them out of a child's reach. The same goes for your household pets, who you know are constantly on the lookout for food on your floors. They will probably mistake a battery for a snack, and they can also be subject to chemical and electrical burns from swallowing a battery.

Doctors, or veterinarians, would normally tell parents and pet owners to simply wait for the object to pass through and naturally make its way out of the child or pet, but if it’s a hearing aid battery, you need to get it removed immediately.  

Here are 5 Symptoms of a Hearing Aid Battery Ingestion:

1. Instant choking and vomiting.
2. Bleeding that occurs in the back of the throat.
3. Drooling
4. Swallowing that feels painful.
5. Feelings of pain in the chest or throat.

When you become aware that your child or pet has swallowed a battery, notify your child’s doctor or your pet’s veterinarian and take the child to your local emergency room or your pet to an emergency veterinary hospital. Pennsylvania residents may also call The Poison Control Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (215)-590-2003, which services 23 counties in Eastern Pennsylvania and the state of Delaware. 

What type of damage can occur from ingesting a hearing aid battery?

The electrical abilities of a typical hearing aid battery are not severe enough to induce a physical heat when the battery shorts out. When a battery is ingested, the heat is not the issue. Even though damage can be caused by alkaline material in the battery as it leaks, the primary risk would come from the electrical current, which can cause an internal chemical burn to body tissue when the battery gets stuck. 
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The greatest, and most severe, danger would be if a larger lithium cell battery becomes lodged in the esophagus. While the battery pushes up against the esophageal tissue, the residual current in the battery can generate serious reactions to the esophagus. Hydroxide will form and then an alkaline burn will occur. It can take place in approximately two hours. If the esophagus gets burned, it could lead to perforations, connections into the trachea, and months or years of damage that affects feeding.

6 Preventative Tips       

1. Batteries should be out of reach and out of sight from children and pets. DO NOT allow your child or pets to play with a hearing aid or the battery. 
2. Children’s hearing aids feature locks on the device where the battery is stored. Make sure that these are locked when the child wears hearing aids.
3. Do not place your hearing aids or the batteries on a surface where you place your food or drinks. You, or a child, could get preoccupied with something else, not pay close attention, and pick it up, while believing it is a pill or candy to swallow.  
4. If you store these batteries in a bag or a purse, make sure they are in a separate case from your pills. 
5. When handling hearing aid batteries, work over a towel or tissue. If you accidentally drop the batteries, they will be easier to find. If you drop it on a hard surface, it can ricochet and wind up on the floor. A child or pet could discover it and consume it.
6. DO NOT place a hearing aid battery in your mouth, for any reason.

Make the switch to rechargeable hearing aids

If possible, wear rechargeable hearing aids. This will take away all of these worries. Our hearing instrument specialists can go over the rechargeable hearing aids options that are available at Pure Sound Hearing Aids.  

Please be aware that Pure Sound services will only be available by appointment and for essential visits at this time. Essential visits include all appointments that require repairs, re-fittings and new hearing aid fittings. If you are having any problems with your hearing aids, or need supplies - such as batteries - for your hearing aids, please call us before visiting one of our offices. 

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