Authorities are investigating the emergency care of children after two button battery incidents at Mackay Base Hospital. 

Reviews have been launched after two children separately presented to the emergency department and ended up in induced comas. The hospital is being criticised by the parents of the children for alleged medical errors.

The first case involves a one-year-old girl, Amity Buchanan, who spent more than 28 hours with a button battery in her throat before it was diagnosed on her second presentation to the emergency department. 

Amity was taken to the Mackay Base Hospital on Monday, March 13, and was seen by a doctor who sent the family home. 

The following day, her parents took her to a private GP who recommended an X-ray. The X-ray showed the button battery, and Amity was flown to Townsville for emergency surgery before being taken to a Brisbane hospital where she spent two nights in an induced coma. She was released from the hospital days later, but still has difficulty eating.

The second case involves a three-year-old girl, Poppy, who was initially misdiagnosed with gastro by the hospital and was later found to have pneumonia and parainfluenza in both lungs. 

An online fundraising campaign was set up by Poppy's aunt on behalf of her mother, Michelle Doran, to help with medical expenses.

The hospital is conducting an internal investigation into both cases. 

However, Chief Medical Officer Charles Pain said he had no reason to believe the judgement of the doctors involved in the two paediatric cases was inappropriate.

Dr Pain said “the critical question that has arisen” relates to the hospital's initial decision not to do an X-ray in the case of Amity Buchanan. 

“One thing we will do from now on is to specifically ask the parent if they witnessed the child swallow the object. If they did not, it will influence our decision on whether to X-ray,” he said.

Dr Pain acknowledged that there was a bed shortage at the hospital, but he wanted to reassure the Mackay community that there would be care available. 

“That's why we're building a new wing and we'll have [an additional] 128 beds,” he said.

“The shortage of beds will never be a reason for not getting good care … we will always find somewhere to treat someone if they need admission.”

The hospital says it is taking the concerns raised by the families seriously and will respond appropriately to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the future.