Complications owing to oesophageal impaction of button batteries and risk factors in children in China: a review.

Background: Impaction of button batteries (BB) in children is not rare.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of reports of oesophageal injury caused by impaction of BB in children in China.

Methods: The databases of Wanfang, VIP, China National Knowledge Internet, the Chinese Medical Association Journal and PubMed were searched for reports by Chinese authors of BB impaction published between May 2005 and July 2023. The risk factors for complications were analysed by multiple unconditional logistic regression.

Results: After excluding 95 articles which did not meet the criteria, 77 remained, with a total of 964 cases of BB impaction. Of 516 cases with complications, 402 were in children (77.9%). The most common complications were oesophageal erosions and ulceration (218/402, 54.2%), followed by oesophageal perforation (88/402, 21.1%), tracheo-oesophageal fistula (69/402, 17.2%), oesophageal stricture (38/402, 9.5%) and peri-oesophagitis (31/402, 7.7%). Regression analysis demonstrated that the duration and location of impaction were the risk factors for complications (OR 13.7 and 11.3, respectively; p < 0.05 for both).

Conclusion: BB impaction remains common and causes serious oesophageal complications in children. Widespread knowledge of the risks is essential for prevention.