18.05.2026 17:41
A 4-year-old girl in Istanbul swallowed a battery she found on the ground in a park, thinking it was candy. Tests at the hospital revealed the battery had caused a burn in her stomach. After 30 hours of monitoring, the child naturally passed the battery through her stool and was discharged. Prof. Dr. Ali İhsan Dokucu warned families that batteries can pose a fatal danger to children.
H.G., the 4-year-old daughter of a family with two children living in Istanbul's Gaziosmanpaşa district, allegedly swallowed a battery on Tuesday, May 12, mistaking it for candy at around 5:30 PM after leaving kindergarten and going to the park with her mother. When the family returned home, the child experienced symptoms such as vomiting and abdominal pain on Wednesday, prompting a visit to the hospital. The family was in great shock when family physicians shared the suspicion of a foreign object, and they were immediately referred to the pediatric surgery department, arriving at Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital.
BATTERY CAUSED A BURN IN THE STOMACH Prof. Dr. Ali İhsan Dokucu, Head of Education and Administration at the Pediatric Surgery Clinic, and his team suspected the object might be a battery during their examinations and placed the child under treatment. While medical imaging showed the battery was moving, it was monitored to see if it would pass naturally.
Later, the battery was expelled from the body with the child's stool, and necessary tests were conducted against the toxic effects of the battery. Providing information about the condition of his patient, who was discharged on May 14, Prof. Dr. Ali İhsan Dokucu stated that the battery caused a burn in the 4-year-old child's stomach and issued important warnings to families.
"MISTAKES IT FOR CANDY AND SWALLOWS IT" Stating that families should not keep materials that small children could swallow in their environment, Prof. Dr. Ali İhsan Dokucu said: "Our daughter, a little 4-year-old girl, goes to the park after kindergarten, picks up a foreign object from the ground while playing. She mistakes it for candy or another object and swallows it. One day later, our patient develops symptoms like abdominal pain and nausea. They quickly go to the hospital; when an X-ray is taken, they see a swallowed foreign object and come to our emergency department at midnight. When we examined it, we saw that the foreign object was moving on the X-rays, and since it was round with a double layer, we suspected it might be a battery.
The family has no clear information, but its appearance resembles a battery. Battery ingestions require more sensitivity compared to swallowing coins or other foreign objects. Even if used, the battery still contains a small amount of energy; secondly, it can produce chemical contents, especially from heavy metals, and depending on the battery's quality and age, leakage can cause toxic effects in the person. Equally important as toxic effects, it can produce electrical burns. Especially if it gets stuck near the esophagus and there is a conduction problem due to body fluids between the positive and negative poles, serious burns can occur, sometimes even burns to the esophagus or trachea."
"CAN EVEN LEAD TO DEATH" Stating that 'swallowing a foreign object should not be underestimated,' Prof. Dr. Dokucu said, "It can even lead to death. When we compared the X-ray taken at another hospital with ours, we saw it had advanced. We tracked it from the stomach to the intestine, from the intestine to the large intestine; after confirming it was a battery, we monitored whether it would get stuck or be expelled with bowel movements. After about 30 hours of monitoring, we supported its natural expulsion with enemas, but the child had symptoms. She had abdominal pain and vomiting. When we assessed whether it had caused any damage to the gastrointestinal tract, unfortunately, we saw a burn area inside the stomach. We reported it as a burn caused by electrical conduction in the area where the battery was lodged."
"FAMILIES NEED TO BE AWARE" Saying, "After 2 days, she responded very well to treatment; our child is now very healthy," Prof. Dr. Dokucu continued: "Our Ministry of Health has a National Poison Information Center (UZEM). Within this framework, we were given some recommendations. Tests for heavy metals and toxic doses were requested. Ages 2-5 are somewhat of an oral period; children tend to put everything they hold into their mouths. Families need to be aware that dangerous materials should not be kept in the environment. We must know that batteries can be very dangerous, that they are not innocent, and can cause serious harm, even death, in children. I wish all our children healthy days."