A disturbing series of images have gone viral on Facebook, showing the damaging effects swallowing a button battery will have on a small child.
The pictures, which stem from the public emergency first aid Facebook page CPR Kids, display the horrific damage wrought upon the flesh of a chicken fillet after being put into contact with a lithium button battery - highlight just how dangerous they can be if an infant ingests one.
A paediatric nurse placed a battery inside a chicken fillet and monitored the damage closely.
After only four hours, she examined the meat and discovered that the battery acid contained within the button had already leaked out and corroded much of the tissue, covering it in black ichor.
Commenting on her experiment in a recent interview, CPR Kids founder Sarah Hunstead told Kidspot: "I was inspired to do this particular experiment after a trip to the supermarket with my oldest daughter.
"We were walking down the baby products aisle - she stopped and picked up a small object off the shelf where the baby toys were - my daughter said ‘Mom Look! A button battery! That is so dangerous!"
Sarah added: "Looking around I saw an opened packet on the shelf that obviously a shopper had left there - did they not understand how incredibly dangerous these items are? I decided that we needed to show what damage these batteries can do, so I put some chicken fillets in my trolley and my daughters and I did the time-lapse photos that afternoon."
She continued: "Even though I have seen firsthand the damage that a button battery can do, I was still shocked at the immediacy of the burns.
In my career as a pediatric emergency nurse, I have cared for children who had swallowed or choked on button batteries. A few were lucky because it was witnessed by a parent and they knew to seek immediate emergency help, however, most ended up with horrific injuries, sometimes requiring years of ongoing treatment if they survived."
Swallowing button batteries is a very real issue families face. Back in September, four-year-old Kaiden Taylor found himself in a life-threatening situation after accidentally swallowing a button battery at his nan's home in Douglas on the Isle of Man.
As reported by ITV News, the terrifying ordeal began when young Kaiden was innocently playing at his nana's house and came across a button battery that he had removed from a remote control. In a matter of seconds, the battery had vanished, setting off alarm bells for his vigilant grandmother.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Kaiden's grandmother wasted no time and rushed him to Noble's Hospital, where medical professionals assessed his condition. Due to the severity of the incident, Kaiden was subsequently airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
What makes this incident even more poignant is that Kaiden's father, Ryan, was away on holiday at the time and had to rush to be by his son's side.
"When I got there they explained to me what could happen and it was serious stuff what could happen," dad Ryan revealed. "It could turn fatal, he could end up having to get cut open or he could end up having a blood transfusion or even go into intensive care."
"They said it wasn't far away from burning through the oesophagus and into the blood vessels and main artery which is life threatening," the father continued. "We just had to take it hour by hour, it was terrifying".
Laura Duthie, consultant at Alder Hey told ITV News: "We know the majority of children who swallow these objects, reassuringly turn out to be fine, but there are a proportion of them who sustain injuries and a small proportion of those who unfortunatley do die from those injuries.
For more advice on how you can help your little one avoid a nasty accident, please visit Kids Health for help and more information.
