Surgeons in Lviv Save Child Who Lived for Months with Battery in Esophagus

In Lviv, medical professionals at the Saint Nicholas Children's Hospital have successfully performed a surgery on a 2-year-old girl who had a lithium battery stuck in her esophagus for several months. This information was disclosed in a post by the hospital on the social media platform Facebook, which was subsequently shared by the Ukrinform news agency.

The troubling situation began to raise concerns among the child's parents in late autumn when they noticed that their daughter was having difficulty swallowing. She could only consume blended food, which alarmed the family. They sought medical attention, but doctors found no signs of foreign objects in the child's body. Consequently, the treatment focused on a potential infection, and she was prescribed an ibuprofen-based medication for her abdominal pain.

Unfortunately, throughout the winter, the girl's symptoms continued to be misdiagnosed as various other illnesses. Doctors considered different diagnoses, including treatments for worms and inflammatory processes. Meanwhile, the child's condition deteriorated, prompting her parents to seek new solutions to the problem.

At the beginning of spring, after enduring prolonged suffering, the parents returned to the hospital, insisting on further examinations. An X-ray was conducted, which clearly revealed a foreign object in the esophagus. During an endoscopic examination, doctors discovered that a round lithium battery with a diameter of 2.5 cm was firmly lodged at the site of the first physiological narrowing of the esophagus. Surrounding the battery were signs of swelling and hypergranulation of the mucous membrane, indicating prolonged tissue damage.

Given the complexity of the situation and the high risks involved, the child was urgently referred to the Saint Nicholas Hospital, where surgeons began the operation. Using a laryngoscope and specialized instruments, the medical team was able to safely remove the foreign object from the girl's body.

The condition of the 2-year-old patient is currently stable, but doctors continue to monitor her health, as the risks of complications remain. One of the most common complications in such cases is esophageal narrowing at the site of injury. Therefore, medical professionals are carefully observing the child's condition.

In a month, the girl is scheduled for a follow-up examination to assess how the mucous membrane of the esophagus is healing and to check for any complications. This examination will be a crucial step in the child's recovery process.

It is worth noting that earlier, Ukrinform reported a case in Lviv where doctors removed a kilogram of hair from the intestines of a 15-year-old girl. This incident underscores the importance of timely medical intervention when alarming symptoms arise.

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