A four-year-old girl from Southern California is in a critical condition after swallowing a button battery from a toy, which burned a hole in her oesophagus.
Camila Romero was taken to hospital after suffering a persistent fever for a week. Initially thought to have a viral illness, a chest X-ray requested by her mother revealed a button battery lodged in her throat.
Her mother, Cassandra Tafolla, said: 'It burned a hole in her oesophagus. Where it burned a hole is really close to where our lungs part. From the hole to her lungs, it’s only about an eighth of an inch from each other.'
Doctors at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital removed the battery, but the damage required Camila to be placed in a medically induced coma. She has been in a coma for two weeks and remains critical, with further surgery expected.
Button batteries, commonly found in toys, remote controls and hearing aids, can cause severe chemical burns when swallowed. The family, unaware of the risks, now urges vigilance. A fundraising campaign has raised over $16,000 (£12,600) towards a $22,000 (£17,300) target to cover medical costs.
