醫生警告不要送兒童水珠禮物

這些小塑膠珠可以膨脹至其尺寸的 400 倍。領先的急診醫生對一種可能在聖誕節期間送給孩子們的流行玩具敲響了警鐘。

Parents and carers are being urged to think twice about giving children water beads, button batteries or magnets this Christmas.

我們敦促家長和照顧者在今年聖誕節給孩子們水珠、紐扣電池或磁鐵時三思而後行。

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has issued a "safety flash" over the three items, which have all been linked to child deaths or serious harm.

英國皇家急診醫學學院 (RCEM) 對這三個項目發出了“安全警告”，這些項目都與兒童死亡或嚴重傷害有關。

Water beads are small, plastic beads that can expand up to 400 times their size when exposed to liquid.

水珠是一種小型塑膠珠，接觸液體後可膨脹至其尺寸的 400 倍。

They are often used in toys, stress balls, sensory toys or art kits, and can also be sold as home decor or vase fillers.

它們通常用於玩具、壓力球、感官玩具或藝術套件，也可以作為家居裝飾或花瓶填充物出售。

If swallowed when small, the beads can expand inside a child and cause bowel obstruction - which needs surgery to remove.

如果在很小的時候吞嚥，這些珠子可能會在兒童體內膨脹並導致腸梗阻 - 需要手術切除。

They are not visible on X-rays.

它們在 X 射線上不可見。

The RCEM safety flash also highlights concerns about the potential for children to swallow button or coin batteries and magnets.

RCEM 安全閃光也強調了對兒童吞嚥紐扣或硬幣電池和磁鐵的可能性的擔憂。

The College said that these gifts could pose a danger to children and vulnerable adults if swallowed.

學院表示，如果吞下這些禮物，可能會對兒童和弱勢成年人造成危險。

Button and coin cell batteries can lodge in the food pipe of young children causing serious harm or death due to a chemical reaction which erodes tissue.

紐帶電池和紐扣電池可能會卡在幼兒的食道中，因腐蝕組織的化學反應而造成嚴重傷害或死亡。

Indeed a Health Services Safety Investigations Body published a report in 2019 which details the death of a three-year-old girl who swallowed a coin battery without her parents knowing.

事實上，健康服務安全調查機構在 2019 年發布了一份報告，詳細介紹了一名三歲女孩在父母不知情的情況下吞下紐扣電池而死亡的情況。

Meanwhile, a previous warning from the College highlights how children can come to severe harm after swallowing super-strong magnets.

同時，該學院先前發出的警告強調了兒童在吞食超強磁鐵後可能會受到嚴重傷害。

They can be in different parts of the intestine but come together, causing injury and even leading to perforation of the bowel, which requires urgent surgery.

它們可能位於腸道的不同部位，但卻聚集在一起，造成損傷，甚至導致腸道穿孔，需要緊急手術。

Dr Salwa Malik, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said, "Any one of these three objects could be found under your tree or in a stocking this festive season, hidden in gifts that are intended to bring joy to a child or vulnerable person, but which, if swallowed, could result in critical illness and the need for emergency medical treatment.

皇家急診醫學院副院長薩爾瓦·馬利克博士說：「在這個節日里，這三件物品中的任何一件都可能在你的樹下或襪子裡找到，藏在旨在給孩子或孩子帶來歡樂的禮物中。

"As an emergency medicine doctor, I have seen parents holding their child's hand and watching over them while they lay on a bed in an Emergency Department, in need of urgent care because they have ingested one of these items.

「作為一名急診科醫生，我見過父母握著孩子的手，看著他們躺在急診室的床上，因為他們吞下了其中一種物品，需要緊急護理。

"As a parent, I can imagine how utterly terrifying and a traumatic that would be to go through - for a mum, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, brother, sister and of course, the child themselves.

「身為家長，我可以想像，對於媽媽、爸爸、奶奶、爺爺、阿姨、叔叔、兄弟、姊妹，當然還有孩子自己來說，這將是多麼可怕和痛苦的經歷。

"Having seen the effects first hand, which can be devastating and detrimental, we are asking people to please think twice about the dangers these pose while selecting and gifting presents this season.

「在親眼目睹了這些影響可能是毀滅性和有害的之後，我們要求人們在本季選擇和贈送禮物時三思而後行。

"We are also raising awareness within emergency departments by circulating these safety flashes to ensure our colleagues in emergency departments are aware and informed about the dangers and equipped with the best clinical guidance to treat a child, or vulnerable person should they seek help after swallowing these objects."

「我們也透過傳播這些安全警示來提高急診科內部的認識，以確保急診科的同事了解並了解危險，並配備最佳的臨床指導來治療兒童或弱勢群體，如果他們在吞下這些後尋求幫助。