Doctors at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem saved an eight-year-old boy's life this week after he accidentally swallowed a flashlight part, creating an active electrical circuit in his esophagus. The child was rushed into emergency surgery after his father noticed his son exhibiting abnormal breathing patterns.
"Had we waited just another hour, it could have led to irreversible damage and posed a life-threatening risk. The batteries created an active electrical circuit in the esophagus, intensifying the injury," pediatric gastroenterology expert Dr. Ze'ev Davidovitch explained.
The child's father noticed his son breathing strangely in their Jerusalem home. "My son started breathing unusually. It was frightening. I couldn’t understand what had happened because he’s usually a healthy child. He didn’t mention swallowing anything. As his condition worsened, I decided to drive him to the hospital's emergency room," the father recounted.
Dr. Davidovitch was urgently called from his home to handle the case. "The boy arrived at the emergency room with his father, breathing heavily but not complaining of localized pain. The ER team initiated treatment and immediately summoned me, realizing it was a case of a swallowed foreign object that could deteriorate. The X-ray revealed a relatively large plastic part, containing three batteries, lodged in the upper esophagus. A foreign object in this area can cause a hole in the esophagus within just two hours, a life-threatening situation," he described.
Given the immediate danger, the boy was rushed into surgery. Dr. Davidovitch, in consultation with ENT specialists at the hospital, including Dr. Avraham Ben Yaakov and anesthetist Dr. Almi Yahia, led the emergency procedure.
"Using specialized equipment and with the support of the operating room team, we extracted the lodged object, which had already caused damage to the esophagus, forming visible holes," he said.
Dr. Ze'ev DavidovitchPhoto: Hadassah Mt. Scopus"Dr. Ben Yaakov also expanded the esophageal passage with a laryngoscope because the swallowed flashlight part was blocking it. Once removed, we saw it was a flashlight component with three small batteries. The batteries’ position created an electrical circuit, causing holes in the esophagus and surrounding blood vessels, a highly dangerous situation for the child."
Dr. Davidovitch emphasized the risks associated with children swallowing small objects. "Small devices with batteries, often used as toys, can pose significant choking hazards and severe esophageal damage, leading to immediate life-threatening conditions, as seen in this case. The presence of batteries in the body is dangerous due to their continued operation. Toy parts or objects picked up from the floor can cause lung perforation if sharp, internal bleeding and rapid, severe deterioration."
He further highlighted the timely intervention's significance, "In this case, the damage had already begun, critically endangering the esophagus. Thanks to the immediate procedure and our ability to remove the flashlight parts and batteries in time, the boy is now out of danger and has started a satisfactory recovery."
The boy was transferred post-surgery to the pediatric intensive care unit for recovery. Within a short period, he was able to eat and function normally. "My son now feels perfectly fine, and we are relieved and happy. We will always be grateful to the entire Hadassah Mount Scopus team for their swift and accurate diagnosis and for saving my son’s life," the father said.