Shiny new toys will be lying under many Christmas trees this season, sure to bring joy to kids around the world. 

But inside these things also lie dangerous pieces parents and others need to keep an eye on. 

Things such as batteries and magnets, both small and shiny, are potentially life-threatening objects. 

Tinsley Anderson, MD, a pediatric surgeon with OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois, calls small, round batteries “particularly problematic.” Saying they can easily get stuck in the esophagus and cause a burn injury. 

When a child swallows a battery like this, surgery is needed.

"In buying gifts for your kids, I'd look for toys that don't have parts that come apart. If they have a battery component, make sure it's screwed in," Dr. Anderson says. "That way you're not changing the battery, and in a year from now, your kid probably won't want the toy anyway." 

Dr. Anderson says mucus and moisture inside the body completes the battery's circuit, activating the battery and causing an alkaline burn. 

She says warning warning signs to look out for if your kid swallowed a battery, is if they're drooling, unable to swallow or eat, have belly pain, or if an item is missing and you think your child might have eaten it. 

It's crucial to head straight to the emergency room to be checked.

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“He wasn’t able to do this before,” Burk’s wife Gloria whispers as Michael walked unassisted into OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois, to talk about the most recent heart procedure that changed his life: a dual leadless pacemaker.

Old vs. new

Pacemakers work to pace a slow heartbeat, which left unchecked can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and fainting. A typical pacemaker includes the battery and circuitry in a device about the size of a Post-it note that’s implanted in the upper chest. Two wires – called leads – wind their way to the heart. One is typically in the right atrium, and the other ends in the right ventricle.

“That type of pacemaker works very well, but there are limitations,” says Michael Broman, PhD, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at OSF Heart of Mary who performed Burk’s procedure. “You have a bump here [on the chest]. There’s a scar involved with having the battery placed. Having leads in veins can also cause problems. You can get vein obstructions. Infections can occur.”

Luckily, Dr. Broman says pacemaker technology is evolving yearly. Dual leadless pacemakers, using technology from Abbott, can be an answer to some of the challenges of a traditional pacemaker. It means another option for patients, too. In downstate Illinois, OSF Heart of Mary is the only hospital implanting dual leadless pacemakers outside of a medical trial.

“No battery in the chest. No scar on the chest,” Dr. Broman explains. “Instead, we deploy the system into the leg veins. We use a catheter to deliver very small batteries – about the size of pen caps. One of them sits inside the heart in the right ventricle. The other sits in the right atrium.”

“I was positive about it,” Burk says, recalling when Dr. Broman suggested he try this new option.

Dr. Broman says the devices last 15 to 20 years, longer than the traditional option (also called a transvenous pacemaker). Infection risk is lower, and the devices can communicate with each other within the person and an outside computer that programs the pacemakers.

“The top device says ‘I’m pacing now, and I want you to pace 30 or 40 milliseconds later’ or whatever the interval is,” Dr. Broman says. “They talk to each other and tell each other what to do.”

Dual leadless pacemaker patients typically have to spend the night in the hospital to allow things to heal. But afterward, they have less post-surgery restrictions. No running, jumping or heavy lifting for a couple days instead of weeks.

On the horizon

Dr. Broman says someone who simply has a slow heartbeat can be a candidate for a dual leadless pacemaker. If you have a slow heartbeat and your weak heart can’t pump blood properly, you’d likely need a traditional system.

Still, Dr. Broman recognizes that this is a major advancement in heart care. It’s technology he says electrophysiologists have been waiting for for decades.

“This is just the beginning,” he says. “We’re going to have more cardiac technologies that involve this type of wireless and small devices that fit inside the heart instead of big, bulky devices outside the heart. I’m very excited to see what the future brings.”

It's a problem worth solving, adds Dr. Broman, who notes he does at least two or three pacemaker procedures a week. Americans are living longer, exposing more of them to age-related heart disturbances. There’s not much to do about it aside from daily healthy habits. This leads to medical intervention.

Burk today

After taking part in cardiac rehabilitation at OSF Heart of Mary, Burk now continues his recovery at home.

“It cleared up my balance. I wouldn’t stand up and feel faint,” Burk says. “As it was explained to me, these pacemaker [devices] stimulated the bottom of my heart and increased oxygen flow. That makes me capable of walking a lot better. It’ll improve as time goes on.”

Burk worked for a quarter-century as a railroad car inspector before slowing down in retirement. What’s he looking forward to now with his new lease on life? Taking a train to Portland, Oregon, where he lived for a few years as a child.

“I’ll take what comes in life,” he says with a smile.

Learn more

Read more about keeping your heart healthy on the OSF HealthCare website.

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'Tis the season of sharing. Both gifts and germs. 

Right now, your child may be writing Santa Claus for gifts, some of which may include battery-powered items. 

However, these can pose health hazards to young children. 

An Illinois family issues a warning after their child swallowed a tiny lithium battery.

“She was struggling with something that was stuck in her esophagus and starting to show signs of discomfort and pain," says Joseph Mumbu, father of Liana Mumbu who swallowed a tiny lithium battery.

“Time is of the essence." emphasizes Dr. Daniel Robertson, a surgeon with OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois.

Quickly, Joseph rushed Liana to a hospital of Canton, Illinois. The team there quickly contacted the OSF Care-Hub, who alerted Dr. Robertson. 

An ambulance ride and a trip to the operating room at OSF Children's Hospital led to Dr. Robertson operating and saving Liana's life. 

Dr. Robertson emphasizes that saliva can cause an electrical current, burning the esophagus within two hours. Quick removal is crucial to prevent irreversible damage.

A year ago, an early season start to respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, prompted OSF OnCall to launch an at-home monitoring program for infants to 5-year-olds with the virus. 

RSV is the leading cause of hospitalizations for infants and children. 

Now, OSF has expanded the program to include remote monitoring and 24/7 support for all pediatric respiratory viruses.

“They love having support anytime in the day, however they want to do it – text message, phone call, anything. They can send us pictures. We've really kind of taken that to tailor what parents need to feel comfortable taking their children home, you know, from a clinic; from the hospital during the scary time," says Rose Smith, Clinical Digital Care Supervisor with OSF OnCall.

A medical provider must confirm a diagnosis and make a referral to the program. Call or visit your child's pediatrician to get started.

The National Safety Council says each year, more than 3,500 people swallow lithium batteries. 

Another big warning, don't induce vomiting but instead get to your nearest hospital emergency department.

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