How long can an elderly patient survive with only a saline IV drip and no nutrition.?

[Amara]

My Aunt is 87 years old and is in the hospital with an infection. She is on a saline IV drip and has had no liquids or nutrition by mouth for 12 days. How long can she survive like this? Also, can there be damage to the brain due to lack of nutrition?

There are some good answers, but I feel details have been left out. The hospital will not let her have anything. For over a week all we have heard is that nutrition is not important and that all they were concerned about is getting rid of the infection. The saline drip has no nutrients and no dextrose; just salt and water. We have been allowed to give her tiny straws full of soda, but that's it, and not that often. Maybe two onces total in eight days. She has been hungry, & has indicated so, but there is nothing we can do without getting kicked out of the hospital. The doctor has to order nutrients for her, & he has not. We would love to be able to give her something. Also, though it has been touch and go, as far as we can tell she is not dying. She was always a strong woman before this. Stronger than me & I'm a young person. My concern is that she is starving & that this will affect her mind.

[JustAGirl]

The saline IV drip will keep her hydrated and thats what the body needs most. Her body will live off stored fat and energy and how long..well each patient is different..Eventually she will need nutrition to survive.

Wont she eat on her on or when fed? If she doesn't want to eat and has no appetite, then maybe that is her bodies way of telling her its time to go. If she chooses not to or can't eat don't worry she won't feel the effects of starvation like you or I do when we go for a period w/o eating. The body when it enters it last stages looses those types of things such as hunger.

I would say visit her as often as you can, take her favorite food and offer to help her eat it. Make memories while you can because they last forever, and people don't. 87 years wow thats a long full life..sounds like she was blessed.

=)

[Weston]

Most of the time they can give nutriants by IV, don't worry about that the hospital would not starve her. Hope she does better!

[bigturkeyme]

only god knows that answer
say a prayer while you

still can is all i know

[m•šmmImmm•mm·m·•omm•·m·m]

unless they are trying to let her die, she is being given nutrition thru the drip