[Technical aspects of rehydration]

Abstract

Rehydration of terminally ill patients is from a technical point of view not more difficult than fluid treatment of any other patient. The difficulty lies in the balanced decision between the appropriate method on one hand and the desirability of a rehydration on the other hand. The route of choice in terms of burden for the patient as well as from a logistic point of view is the oral one. If it fails fluid can be administered via transnasal gastric tube. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and other types of gastrostomy do not provide any advantage over gastric tube for patients with imminent early mortality and those in a hospital. Subcutaneous infusions provide at least for a short time a suitable method for rehydration also and in particular for terminally ill patients. Peripheral venous catheters are suitable for rehydration, however only for a period of few days until another solution is found.