Saudi Arabia: Rare surgery on battery-swallowing infant

Cairo: A two-year-old child underwent a rare surgery in Saudi Arabia after he had swallowed a battery that stuck inside his esophagus for 16 hours, Saudi online newspaper Sabq reported Sunday.

The procedure was conducted at the Maternity and Child Hospital in the holy city of Medina in cooperation with a local cardiac centre.

The infant had been admitted into the hospital suffering from low blood pressure and hemoglobin deficiency, according to the report.

A CT-scan showed the presence of a hole between the esophagus and the aortic artery, a rare complication of his swallowing a small round battery that had stuck inside the esophagus. The object was removed through endoscopy. The child left the hospital five days later in stable condition.

But he returned 10 days later with complications caused by the battery's electric charges and chemicals, prompting the medical team to refer him to the cardiac centre in Medina for heart cathetrisation. The intervention stopped bleeding and stabilised the condition of the child, who has reportedly recovered.