HomePodcastEp #14: Button Battery Ingestion. A Time Sensitive Emergency

Ep #14: Button Battery Ingestion. A Time Sensitive Emergency

Most of us have an array of devices in our homes that contain button batteries. Did you know that they can be extremely dangerous if swallowed by a child? Did you know that when a button battery is ingested time is of the essence to avoid dangerous and even life-threatening complications? In this episode, Dr. Hess is joined by Dr. David Brumbaugh, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and Dr. Rajitha Venkatesh, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital to discuss the dangers of button battery ingestion, what you should do if you suspect your child has ingested a battery, and what you can do to prevent it. Both Dr. Venkatesh and Dr. Brumbaugh are members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Button Battery Task Force and work tirelessly to educate the public about this common, but dangerous, hazard. Together we’ll give you the information and tools you’ll need to keep your children safe.

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Parent Resources: 

National Battery Ingestion Hotline: 1-800-498-8666

 

Meet Our Guests: 
Dr. Brumbaugh is the Associate Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado. He practices pediatric gastroenterology and serves on the executive committee of the Section of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also serves on the AAP-led Button Battery Task Force. Learn more.

 

Dr. Rajitha Venkatesh is a practicing gastroenterologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital with a focus in eosinophilic GI disorders.  She is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Public Health at The Ohio State College of Public Health.  She is the mother of two children.  Her medical degree was awarded from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse NY where she was the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award recipient.  She completed her pediatric residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital and completed her Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship at MassGeneral Hospital for Children.  She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Button Battery Task Force.   She has co-authored a chapter in the MassGeneral Hospital for Children Adolescent Medicine Handbook as well as in The NASPGHAN Fellows Concise Review of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Learn more at RajithavenKateshmd.com.