Severe tracheobronchial harm due to lithium button battery aspiration: An in vitro study of the pathomechanism and injury pattern.

BACKGROUND: Button battery incidents have become a rising medical issue in recent years, especially for infants. The increasing number of these cases can be explained by the expanding use of objects of everyday life and toys. As a result, button batteries in many households are ubiquitous in different states of charge. The extremely long shelf-life and the increasing energy densities of lithium button batteries boost the potential medical complications of accidental swallowing. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to analyze the pathophysiology of damage to tracheobronchial structures by button batteries aspiration over time. METHODS: CR2032 and CR927 lithium button batteries (3.2/3.0 V) were exposed to porcine trachea preparations intraluminal at 37 °C in intervals up to 36 h. Measurements were made of the voltage curve, the discharge current, and the resulting pH values around the electrodes. The effects on tissue were examined using macroscopic time-lapse images and microscopic pictures of sections of the fixed specimens over time. FINDINGS: The examinations showed a tissue electrolysis reaction directly after the beginning of battery exposure, which led to an immediate coagulation impairment of the respiratory epithelium. Over time, a strongly alkaline environment was established around the batteries. The resulting tissue colliquation caused profound tissue damage beyond the basal membrane of the mucosa, affecting the tracheobronchial cartilage after only 4 h of exposure time. After 12 h, there was significant necrosis of the annular ligaments of the trachea and the peribronchial pulmonary tissue. After completion of the experimental exposure time of 36 h, there was still a sufficient residual voltage on all button batteries of the experiments. CONCLUSIONS: Besides accidental ingestion, the aspiration of button batteries is a life-threatening situation. The partial or complete acute airway obstruction in the trachea or the bronchi initially is the leading symptom, as with any foreign body aspiration. However, the results of the investigations show that even after a short exposure time, relevant tissue damage can be caused by the electrolysis reaction of the battery. After 12 h, a profound destruction of cartilage, connective tissue, and smooth muscles was observed in vitro, which may cause significant consequential damage in vivo. These findings reveal the need for rapid diagnosis and immediate foreign body removal after any battery ingestion. Moreover, the results show how relevant prevention of these accidents is, and that future safety modifications of these types of battery by the manufacturers would be appropriate.