Health Watch: Button Battery Surgery

ATLANTA - Sixty seconds was all it took for 1-year-old Gabriel McNutt to take out the battery in his parents' remote control and swallow it. Six weeks later, the Stone Mountain toddler underwent surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to try to repair the damage left behind.

The toddler rolled into surgery at about 4:40 p.m. Thursday afternoon after being in the hospital for a month and a half and eating through a feeding tube.

McNutt's parents, Adam and Leslie have been praying a lot lately.

"We're grateful. We're thankful that we still have our son," said Adam McNutt.

On Thursday, the 13-month-old Gabriel, needed their prayers as he headed into surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egelston to repair the damage done by a little battery no bigger than a nickel.

"He started throwing up profusely and he wouldn't stop. And we thought at first, maybe he was just getting a stomach bug or something," said Leslie McNutt.

Instead, the toddler had gotten a hold of the remote control to his parents' DVD player and once he got it, he swallowed it.

"It only takes a minute. For our son, it took one minute to get the backing off the remote, and get the battery in his esophagus. And put him in the state that he was," said Adam McNutt.

"They put him [to sleep] and they used a scope to pull it out," said Leslie McNutt.

"The doctors told us 99 percent of the time, its recovery, there's no complications, no infections," said Adam McNutt.

But a week later, there were complications.

"As soon as we laid him down, he started choking. He wasn't able to breathe," recalled Adam McNutt.

The toddler was rushed back to the hospital in critical condition.

A follow-up test showed that the little battery had eaten a hole in Gabriel's esophagus, so that every time he tried to swallow food or water, he was choking.

"It's very concerning because it happens so fast. In fact it starts to happen within minutes," said Dr. Mark Wulkan, a surgeon at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

The McNutts said they couldn't believe the damage one little battery can do.

"You stand over the bed of your child and you see that these machines are keeping him alive," said Adam McNutt.

Button batteries are everywhere from remote controls to toy key chains. The tiny batteries are even tucked inside the musical greeting cards we give kids.

The Georgia Poison Center received 60 calls last year about people accidentally swallowing button batteries.

Dr. Wulkan said that in Gabriel McNutt's case, his esophagus was too small for the battery to pass through it.

"We got a hold of him pretty fast, within three hours we had the button battery out, and even then it was enough to do damage," said Dr. Wulkan.

Now six weeks after swallowing the battery, Gabriel McNutt underwent surgery that his parents hope will allow him to eat again without a feeding tube.

"Basically they're going to do everything they possibly can do to close up the holes to prevent any type of infection, so that he can begin to swallow again," Adam McNutt said.

Dr. Wulkan has some advice for parents.

"Get down at your child's level. Because standing up where we are sometimes you don't see what's just underneath the sofa, or just underneath the chair," Dr. Wulkan said.

The McNutts said their prayers to bring their son home healthy again.

"The good news is hopefully we can get him back to being a completely normal kid," said Dr. Wulkan.

The McNutts have duct-taped their remote control and made sure it will be out of Gabriel's reach.

The National Capitol Poison Center says about 3,500 Americans swallow button batteries each year.

If you suspect your child has swallowed one, go to the emergency room right away. Doctors can x-ray the child to see if the battery is caught in the child's throat or digestive tract.