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The aim of the study was to investigate the appropriate time of removal of button batteries (BB) from the esophagus and stomach in children.Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive single-center study reviewing the medical records of all children with BB ingestion seen in the Royal Hospital between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014. All children younger than 13 years with a history of BB ingestion were included. Biodemographic data including age and sex were obtained. In addition, time of ingestion of BB, location of BB, time of endoscopic removal, and any complications were recorded.Results: Forty-six patients with BB ingestion were identified out of 385 who presented with foreign body ingestion (12%) during the study period. Twenty four (52%) were boys and 22 (48%) were girls. All children had BB of 20 mm in diameter. Two children had the BB in the esophagus, whereas 13 children had the BB in the stomach up on presentation. The mean time of presentation of children with BB in the esophagus was 1.75 hours after ingestion, whereas those with BB in the stomach presented on average 19.4 hours after ingestion (P < 0.035).An endoscopic intervention was done in only 8 of the 46 children. Two children had the BB in the esophagus and 6 children in the stomach. One child required intensive care unit with subsequent esophageal strictures. The mean time of esophageal BB removal was 1.7 hours from ingestion, whereas removal from the stomach was on average 27 hours after ingestion. Endoscopic injuries were noted in 87.5% of the children with BB in the esophagus or the stomach. No mortality occurred during the study period.Conclusions: Button batteries ingestion is a common problem with variable time of presentation to the emergency department. Esophageal BB presents the highest risk of injury even in as short time as 2 hours. Gastric mucosal injury can occur within 10 hours of ingestion. Button batteries of 20-mm diameter need to be urgently removed from the esophagus and be considered for removal earlier than 24 hours if in the stomach.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in children has multiple etiologies but fortunately is not encountered commonly by pediatricians. Aorto-esophageal fistula (AEF) in children is a rare cause of UGIB and it is mainly secondary to accidental ingestion of foreign bodies, particularly disc batteries, or after cardiothoracic surgery. In this study, we report a case of a 3-year-old child who developed de novo AEF with no prior injury to the esophagus. The child presented with massive UGIB leading to hypovolemic shock, acute kidney injury, and cardiac arrest. The torrential bleed was controlled using a Sengstaken–Blakemore Tube (SBT), which allowed urgent chest CT angiography as well as subsequent thoracotomy and repair of the fistula Unfortunately, the child succumbed to repeated cardiac arrests secondary to the renal injury and severe acidosis. This case highlights the need for the early recognition of massive UGIB in children and the requirement to make appropriately sized SBTs available in all pediatric gastroenterology units.

Parenteral Nutrition (PN) is used when gut fails to provide complete nutrition. Central line Associate Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) a major complication of this therapy. The objective of the study was to report the incidence of CLABSI and associated mortality in children receiving PN in the Royal Hospital and study the indication and duration of PN use. All children from the age of 0-48 months who received TPN outside NICU from the period between 1/1/2011 till 31/12/2014 were included. Data were retrieved from the hospital electronic data base. There were 42 children 27 males and 15 females who used PN through a central line for a total duration of 569 days. The incidence of CLABSI was 14 days per 1000 days catheter and mortality of 556 per 10000. The average duration of TPN was 14.5 days. Most of the patient had CLABSI in the PICU and cardiac related illness or surgery was the most common indication of PN use. The average duration of use was 14 days. Inspite of that short duration use of PN, there is a very high incidence of CLABSI and its related mortality. Bundle policy for central line care is not used in the Royal Hospital and this study calls for urgent implementation of central line care bundle policy in the Royal Hospital.

Purpose Abdominal migraine (AM) is a very common functional gastrointestinal disorder in children. This study reports the clinical features and response of AM to prophylactic treatment in children. Methods This retrospective study was conducted between January 2010 and December 2019 at the Royal Hospital in the Sultanate of Oman. This study included children aged ≤ 13 years with a diagnosis of AM based on the Rome IV criteria for functional diagnoses. Clinical, demographic, and treatment data were collected. Results Seventy-four children were identified, of which 43 were eligible for inclusion in this study. The median age at the onset of symptoms was 7 years (range, 2–12 years). The most frequent symptoms were headache (81.4%), nausea (79.1%), and vomiting (72.1%). Of the total cohort, 46.5%, 23.3%, and 6.9% received riboflavin, pizotifen, and propranolol monotherapy, respectively. Combination therapy was also used; 16.3% of children received pizotifen and propranolol, 4.7% received riboflavin and pizotifen, and 2.3% received riboflavin and propranolol. Patients treated with propranolol monotherapy showed 100% clinical improvement and those treated with riboflavin or pizotifen monotherapy showed 90% clinical improvement. Response to combination therapy with pizotifen and propranolol was 71.4%, and with riboflavin and pizotifen was 100%. In addition, treatment response was significantly associated with the presence of vomiting ( p =0.039). Conclusion We found a favorable response to various modalities and combination treatments with riboflavin, pizotifen, and propranolol in children with AM. In addition, the presence of vomiting may predict treatment response.