Brianna Florer. Image courtesy GoFundMe.
JAY, Okla. — A 2-year-old girl from Oklahoma reportedly died two days after Christmas from complications that arose after she swallowed a button battery, a device the Consumer Product Safety Commission says can cause serious chemical burns if inadvertently ingested.
The Oklahoman reports that 2-year-old Brianna Florer was active and happy the day after Christmas, but the next day she died and an X-ray revealed the cause of death was a small, silver button battery.
“On Saturday she was fine,” maternal grandfather Kent Vice told the Oklahoman. “It was a perfect Christmas.”
But late Sunday, Brianna was vomiting blood and her skin took on a blueish color. The child was rushed to one hospital and then transferred to another, where she spent about 2.5 hours in surgery. Doctors were not able to stop the bleeding.
“They believed the battery ate through to her carotid artery by way of her esophagus,” Vice told the Oklahoman.
It is believed the child swallowed the battery within about a week of her death, click here for more on Brianna’s story from the Oklahoman.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
Button batteries are something the CPSC has already warned Americans about, as those who swallow the items can suffer from chemical burns. In 2014, the organization joined a group effort to increase battery safety around the world. That effort has led to changes in packaging and warning labels for the devices, which are often used in small electronics like keyless entry devices, scales and calculators.
Those small objects are often left within a child’s reach, and the CPSC states: ” Incidents of young children and seniors unintentionally swallowing the batteries have resulted in thousands of reports of injuries worldwide.”
CPSC offers the following tips regarding button battery safety:
– Do not allow children to play with or be in contact with coin cell batteries.
– Caution hearing aid users to keep hearing aids and batteries out of the reach of children.
– Never put batteries in your mouth for any reason because they are easily swallowed accidentally.
– Always check medications before ingesting them. Adults have swallowed button batteries mistaking them for pills or tablets.
– Keep remotes and other electronics out of your child’s reach if the battery compartments do not have a screw to secure them. Use tape to help secure the battery compartment.
– If a button battery is ingested, seek medical attention immediately. The National Battery Ingestion and Poison Help Hotlines are available 24 hours a day.
– Discard button batteries carefully.
