2-Year-Old Girl Dies After Swallowing Battery From Remote Control

A two-year-old girl died hours after swallowing a button battery from a remote control.

Harper-Lee Farnthorpe of Abbey Hulton in Staffordshire, England, was rushed to the Royal Stoke University Hospital after her older sister found the toddler vomiting blood.

The child reportedly lost half of the blood in her body. As medics battled to save the baby girl she was given nine units of blood, up to two liters, before being taken in for surgery.

But the toddler died in the operating theatre, her funeral took place on Tuesday, June 15.

At an inquest into the child’s death, a statement from her mother, Stacey Nickin described how she had rushed home to find medics treating her baby girl.

"She ate lunch with her sister. My older daughter was with her and I went to work. Half-an-hour later I received a call from my daughter, she said she had called an ambulance because Harper-Lee was vomiting blood. I got home and there was an ambulance," Nickin said in the statement.

"She was taken to surgery and I was later told she had passed away while in surgery."

"I was told she may have swallowed a button battery."

"When I went home I found a remote in my daughter's bedroom missing a battery."

"She was into everything and developing well, there were no concerns for her. She was full of life and loved by everyone. She had a tendency to put things in her mouth," the mother said.

Royal Stoke paediatrician Dr Anna Piggot described the child’s injuries.

"She had a high blood pressure and looked pale. There was blood in her mouth. She had lost half of the blood in her body," Piggot said.

"This was likely to be a button battery. The button battery had already expelled from her body."

"There were ulcerated lesions in the mid-oesophagus and a large red mark in the stomach which was a blood clot. The button battery caused erosion to the oesophagus. The leaked battery acid remained in her body," she said.

North Staffordshire senior coroner Andrew Barley confirmed Harper-Lee's death, on May 23, as an "accident". The cause of death has been stated as "1A arrhythmia and 1B the complication of a haemorrhage".

Staffordshire Safeguarding Children's Board has now sent a warning to parents.

It states: "Button batteries power everyday objects like car key fobs, remote controls and children's toys. But did you know that if they are swallowed they can badly injure, or even kill a child?"

"Batteries react with saliva and if a child swallows a button battery it can burn holes and cause internal bleeding and even death."

"Tragically, a young child in Staffordshire has recently died from ingesting a button battery."

"If you think your child has swallowed a battery then taken them straight to the nearest A&E department or call 999 for an ambulance."

"The symptoms may not be obvious. Your child might be coughing, gagging or drooling, or pointing to their throat or tummy. Unclear or fluctuating symptoms mean it is important to be vigilant. Trust your instincts and act fast even if there are no symptoms."