'My 4-year-old son nearly died after playing with a remote control - watch out'

02 August 2023 , 17:24

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Kaiden Taylor, four, was flown to Alder Hey Children's Hospital after accidentally swallowing a battery (Image: Ryan Taylor)

A four-year-old boy nearly died after accidentally swallowing a battery used in a remote control.

Kaiden Taylor was rushed to hospital and, following an X-ray, was airlifted to another facility for an emergency operation. The surgery removed the button battery and, afterwards, Kaiden was placed on the critical care unit.

The little boy's dad, Ryan Taylor, said the situation was "terrifying" and he "didn't know what the outcome would be". Ryan, 27, was on holiday at the time of the incident - which happened at Kaiden's grandmother's house on Isle of Man - and rushed back to be at his son's bedside.

The button battery the little boy swallowed is pictured after removal (Ryan Taylor)

Kaiden had been transferred from a local hospital near his nan's to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, in West Derby, Liverpool, for the operation. Doctors there were concerned because the battery got stuck in Kaiden's oesophagus, part of the digestive system.

Ryan told Liverpool Echo: "When he got here, they took him to theatre within half an hour and rushed him down. They told me beforehand he could have complications where it could cause catastrophic bleeding because where it was stuck there was a lot of blood vessels around it and it is where the heart is as well. So there are a lot of blood vessels pumping blood in the heart and things like that. There was also a main artery around that area."

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Medics also told the family, due to the damage and the alkaline which had leaked from the cell, Kaiden would have to stay in hospital for a minimum of three weeks.

Doctors said Kaiden could have died had they not rushed him into theatre for surgery

"Within three hours it had done a lot of damage. It was only so, so far away of going through the oesophagus and into his blood vessels and main artery," Ryan continued.

The family was told by doctors after the operation that if the battery had been left any longer inside Kaiden, it could have been fatal. The boy's father said the four-year-old is still recovering in hospital, but is slowly introducing more food into his diet after being on a feeding tube and a milk diet.

Ryan, from the Isle of Man, now wants to warn other parents on the dangers of button batteries, he said: "These batteries come in remote controls, toys, cards, birthday cards. If this happens to anyone, don't waste any time, get them straight to A&E or a medical centre as soon as possible.

"Make sure the batteries are secure in remotes, in toys, and keep them out of reach of children. Once they are swallowed it reacts straight away."

Olivia Williams