Camila Romero, four-year-old girl, highly critical condition at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital in California. This frightening scenario came about after she had a terrifying experience with a button battery. Admitted on March 8, she had been having flu-like symptoms that included cough, fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. Cassandra Tafolla and Hugo Romero were shocked, and said they could hardly process the news. They noted that Camila had not previously eaten any inedible items.
Thanks to the quick actions of medical professionals, their daughter’s life was saved. With this knowledge, they operated to take out the button battery that had destroyed her airway. The acid from the battery had burned through her airway, causing severe inflammation and life-threatening respiratory complications. Camila is still under sedation in the pediatric intensive care unit as her team continue to help her fight a pros respiratory virus.
Hugo Romero expressed his lack of awareness of button batteries prior to the incident.
“I heard of [button batteries, but] I just never had anything that will use that type of battery,” – Hugo Romero.
Cassandra Tafolla said she’s been in similar shoes as her husband. She confided that she didn’t even know what a button battery was until the emergency occurred. She cited a classic example of preventing young children from being exposed to danger with common household objects.
“I didn’t know what a button battery was, honestly,” – Cassandra Tafolla.
Dr. Harman Chawla, medical director of the pediatric intensive care unit at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, is featured treating Camila. In addition to traumatic injuries, he cautions that the hazards of button batteries can be invisible. He helped us understand how these batteries further cause cumulative, long-term harm.
“[A button battery] changes the environment of the mucosa of the esophagus. And so, it can really be one of those things that is progressive and actually damages the surrounding structures, including blood vessels as well,” – Dr. Harman Chawla.
The determined young couple still has their daughter in their sight as she continues to battle for her life. Tafolla vividly described the late-night scene as they tried to resuscitate Camila before speeding her to the hospital.
“[Camila] kept saying, ‘Mommy, I’m hot,’ and I said, ‘OK, baby, we need to take your medicine.’ And she was like, ‘No,’” – Cassandra Tafolla.
Annually, about 3,500 Americans swallow button batteries unintentionally. This troubling statistic, together with the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights a prominent public health concern. In the wake of the spill, a family member of Camila’s started an online fundraiser. Proceeds will go to cover her rapidly rising medical costs and to support the family while they’re going through this crisis.
