Inquest begins into Queensland girl's battery death
An inquest into the death of a Queensland toddler who died after swallowing a two centimetre lithium battery will begin on Tuesday.
Summer Steer, from Tewantin on the Sunshine Coast, was rushed to Noosa Hospital on the night of June 29, 2013 after she started vomiting blood.
The four-year-old was discharged the following morning with a diagnosis of epistaxis (nosebleed).
Within an hour, however, Summer was rushed back to hospital.
By the time an x-ray uncovered the battery and she was airlifted to Brisbane, it was too late.
Bleeding heavily from the mouth and nose, Summer went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead on June 30.
A coronial inquest will examine the adequacy of the medical treatment she received and whether anything can be done to prevent future deaths.
Coroner John Hutton will hear the matter in Maroochydore Magistrates Court over two days, where at least seven witnesses are expected to be called, including Summer's mother and three doctors from Noosa Hospital.
Court hears 4 y/o Summer was discharged from hospital twice in the 24 hours before she died from swallowing a button battery @7NewsBrisbane
— michelle rattray (@MichelleRattray) June 5, 2015
The button-shaped batteries are found in many common household items and if swallowed they can get caught in the oesophagus and burn a hole.
The chemical reaction is triggered by the body's saliva and can keep burning through various layers of tissue organs right through to the spine.
Morning news break – July 7
