Paediatric emergencies: button battery ingestion: practice question

A Pediatrics question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Pediatrics · Paediatric emergencies: button battery ingestion

Sample item

A 2-year-old swallowed a coin-like button battery and an X-ray shows a double-contour disc at the level of the upper oesophagus. What is the required action?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Urgent endoscopic removal, ideally within 2 hours

A button battery lodged in the oesophagus causes liquefactive necrosis within 2 hours through an electrical current, leading to perforation or fistulae. It needs emergency removal, and honey may be given as a bridge in older children.

Option by option

  • A. Induce vomiting

    Inducing vomiting risks airway aspiration and injury.

  • B. Give laxatives

    Laxatives are suited to batteries beyond the oesophagus that pass spontaneously.

  • C. Urgent endoscopic removal, ideally within 2 hours (correct)

    Correct. Emergency removal prevents severe injury.

  • D. Observation and repeat X-ray in 48 hours

    Waiting allows tissue necrosis.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Pediatrics question

What is the answer to this Pediatrics question?

The best answer is C, Urgent endoscopic removal, ideally within 2 hours. A button battery lodged in the oesophagus causes liquefactive necrosis within 2 hours through an electrical current, leading to perforation or fistulae.

Why is "Induce vomiting" not the answer?

Inducing vomiting risks airway aspiration and injury.

Why is "Give laxatives" not the answer?

Laxatives are suited to batteries beyond the oesophagus that pass spontaneously.

Why is "Observation and repeat X-ray in 48 hours" not the answer?

Waiting allows tissue necrosis.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Paediatric emergencies: button battery ingestion in Pediatrics. It needs emergency removal, and honey may be given as a bridge in older children.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Paediatric emergencies: button battery ingestion?

Memorise milestones and the vaccine schedule as tables and revise them often. Then use the flashcards and the other Pediatrics questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.