Young boy fights to recover after swallowing battery

Kacen Pedrucci is lucky to be alive. Sometime in mid‑May the 15‑month-old boy swallowed a coin‑like "button battery" and is now being fed through a tube in his throat. The Deer Isle resident will be dealing with the consequences for what may turn out to be many months.
According to Kacen's mother, Kalashai Porter, granddaughter of Lubec resident Linda Maker, the first symptoms, including severe diarrhea, lethargic behavior, and a slight fever, were apparent the morning of May 17. She assumed it was a simple childhood disease. By the next day the fever had increased to 105.3 degrees, and Porter took him to the emergency room at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. There, according to Porter, after a "brief" examination, Kacen was diagnosed with rotavirus and sent home. Rotavirus, sometimes called "stomach flu," is a common childhood ailment, according to various sources.
By the morning of May 19, Kacen "couldn't hold his head up" and was taken to his regular pediatrician, where he was given fluids intravenously, reportedly a standard treatment for rotavirus. That evening he was admitted overnight to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth but sent home the next morning. His parents were instructed to call back if he got worse. According to Porter, the doctors were still treating Kacen for rotavirus.
The afternoon of May 20, Porter noted that Kacen's fever remained at 104.9, that he "couldn't move at all," and that his stools were "all black, nothing but blood." They again took him to Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. Porter observed Kacen "sticking his tongue out and sticking his finger in his throat," noting that medical personnel had observed the same behavior. When she refused to take him home again that night, they told her to drive him to the emergency room at Ellsworth.
This time, according to Porter, the diagnosis was different. A blood test revealed high levels of sugar, and Kacen was admitted to intensive care because of symptoms of diabetic shock, which was later determined to have been a result of the IV fluid that had been used to combat dehydration, Porter says.
Sometime around 4 p.m. on May 21, medical personnel in Ellsworth performed an X‑ray and immediately spotted what appeared to be a coin. Kacen was transported to the Maine Medical Center in Portland and later that night went into the operating room for what was expected to be a "half‑hour operation." Two and a half hours later the surgeon told Porter that they had removed a battery. According to Porter, the surgeon told her that he believed the battery had been lodged in her son's throat for "one to two weeks" and that he was fortunate it had not caught near the aorta, as that likely would have been fatal.
The battery was removed sometime around 1:30 in the morning of May 22, approximately five days after the first symptoms had been noticed. According to information provided by the National Capital Poison Center, cases where batteries are lodged in a child's throat for more than just a few hours often result in severe esophageal damage from electrical activity, resulting in the need to be fed through a tube for many months or, in some cases, years. By the time the battery was removed, Kacen had lost nearly 20% of his body weight.
Statistics provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission show that last year 3,549 "button battery ingestions" were reported nationwide, resulting in 19 cases with "major effects" and two fatalities. Sixty‑eight percent of the cases involved children under the age of six; however, there were a number involving elderly individuals who apparently confused batteries with medications. The battery most frequently cited as having major consequences for young children is the 20mm lithium cell used for many small devices. In most cases, the battery passes through harmlessly; however, when it becomes lodged in the throat, the consequences can be serious.
Kacen's parents have not been able to determine the source of the battery but did locate a "talking book" that was missing its battery. These batteries are found in singing greeting cards, many toys, some remote controls and similar devices. They resemble coins, and their usage has increased considerably over the last few years. Maker expresses her concern that "people need to know how dangerous these things are," referring to the risk of injury caused by typical childhood behavior.
In an interview, Greg Roraff, CEO of Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, says, "Such an infrequent event, I'm sure it would not be something they think of right away," referring to emergency room personnel. He adds that they are very reluctant to expose young children to X‑ray radiation unless there is a strong indication of need and points out that he could not comment on the specifics of the particular situation.
This view is confirmed by Dr. Alfred Sacchetti, spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians, who was not familiar with the specifics of Kacen's case and spoke only in general terms. He points out that "the average child has five infections during the first year of life, and you can't X‑ray for each of them." Dr. Sacchetti further observes that the decision to perform the X‑ray that ultimately revealed the real problem was likely made either because of a suspicion of pneumonia or else to obtain a pre‑admission "baseline" observation and that when the procedure was performed "they stumbled on it." In short, since there had been no suspicion of "foreign object ingestion" there was no medical basis on which to subject Kacen to possible radiation damage.
An endoscopic evaluation was performed on July 5, which appears to have provided hope that healing is taking place. The outcome of Kacen's case is not yet known, though. Repeated procedures will be required to restore normal throat functioning.
Porter observes that while they do have medical insurance, many costs will not be covered, particularly those involving lengthy stays. A fund has been established; those who wish to contribute may do so by sending a check to Bar Harbor Bank and Trust, payable to Linda Maker, with "Kacen Pedrucci fund" in the comment line. Additionally, donation containers have been placed in many Lubec business establishments.