“Button battery ingestion in children: Never Again” was the theme of the panel discussion hosted by the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and held during the World Congress of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition which took place virtually on Friday, 4 June 2011.
The panelists discussed the catastrophic effects as well as the challenges of identifying and managing button battery ingestions. Discussion included acute management and removal as well as injury mitigation strategies through battery and product design as well as the recent legislative developments in Australia2 and in the UK3. The Australian regulation, due to come into effect in June 2022, mimics existing requirements in international toy standards and will require amongst other things, child resistant button battery packaging and durable and secure battery compartments for products powered by button batteries.
