Dehydration--How long have we got???

Hank

Hi all,
To any docs/biologists out there or survival bods.....

Sorry for a maudlin topic but I am prompted to pen this after reading of the chap in the states who cut his arm off with a penknife after being trapped by a boulder.
What he did takes bottle and a certain degree of mind over matter as they say but personally I think he acted in haste although I suppose he was concerned about becoming to weak to carry it out.

I would like to suggest a worse case scenario and ask advice/opinions of what is the best action to take and how relative is the said action to the fact that due to growing weaker every day there may well be a time limit to some actions before they become irrelevant and plan B has to come into operation.

So lets take a temp of 30c and no water source at all.
Person is lost and or injured so mobility is impared.
How long can the average human being survive in this condition?
Is it really 7 days as is commonly believed or does the 'will to live' have a bearing on this at all?
I know it does for food but water is a different kettle of fish all together.

Hope that all makes sense

I look forward to your replies or true life tales.

Many thanks.

Hank.

Hank

Hi all,
I should have checked this site out first but you know vague search engines can be,it only came up after I posted.

http://www.speedplastics.co.uk/dehyd...-survival.html


Would still be interested to hear from anyone on here though.

Thanks.

Hank.

steven_ber

5 Days, maybe he was a little impatient.

vistet

DIY amputation guide :

There are some more factors at play here than dehydration , I suspect. The way I read it he had his arm fractured under a half ton block ( which explains how he could do it ; you can`t saw thru the bones with a pen knife) . (It would make for an interesting ad, though ) In this situation you can go in to chock any minute from the toxins that are released from decaying, badly perfused tissues.

Another interesting possibility is septicemia ("blood poisoning") if the given temperature is right.

To restate the obvious this guy must have been a very special person , both for being able to take the decision and being able to do it after five days.

Will and stamina is are crucial factors in situations like these. Some people last five hours, others five days. I remember nursing a reindeer herder that had been trapped under a avalanche for a week. He still had crisp snow in the palm of his hand when we lifted him from the helicopter stretcher to the bed. Today he is back at work..

Re the actual question : how long do we last without water in a hot climate : we discussed here at the ICU and nobody believed what was stated in the linked document. (without sounding territorial : maybe a welder is not the best authority in these matters). After a week the chances are getting very slim for survival. This is not actual experience , more interpolation : we occasionally receive patients that have been immobilised and without water for 2-3 days and they are ... not well .

BrownEyedGuy

I would also think that 30 C in a humid area would prolong survival as compared to 30 C in Saudi Arabia,for instance. Dry air can rapidly remove moisture from a human being. And then there is sun and wind to consider,as well as rain on the positive side.

UltraViolet

I know that this is not answering the question, but I saw a brief interview with this guy and he was cracking jokes about it and everything. What an amazing person! Its really humbling.

vistet

The way the story was retold in my workplace, he said something like :
" the doctors told me to to stick to climbing because what they saw was not the work of a promising new surgeon"

humbling - yes.
way cool - yes.