High Court extends order to feed anorexia sufferer until Friday

A young woman who suffers from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, whom the High Court had ordered last week could be fed through a tube, is making "monumental strides", the court was told today.

The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, today extended the order to feed the young woman via a tube until Friday after he heard a progress report on her condition.

The order was sought after the woman last week began to refuse four out of the seven nutritional feeds her body requires.

The order had had a very positive effect, Peter Finlay SC, for the HSE, said today.

The woman had also sent a card of thanks to one of the specialists treating her. From what the woman has written it was clear “she does not want a fatal outcome” to her case, he added.

Counsel asked for an extension of the order amid concerns she will not continue to accept the nutritional feeds required unless an order is in place. There was a fear of a downward spiral once she begins to put on weight as such a spiral had previously occurred, he said.

“It is necessary for the immediate future the order remains in place. We are asking the court to allow the order to stay in place for another week to see how we go,” counsel said.

Michael Ramsey BL, for the woman, said his side had no objection to the order continuing but he wanted permission for an independent expert on the eating disorder to carry out a psychiatric report.

Mr Justice Kearns said he would continue the order to next Friday when the case will come back before the court but he would not intervene at this stage and direct an indepdent psychiatric report.

All the indications were the young woman was receiving excellent care, he said.

Last week the court heard the woman had refused four out of seven oral nutritional supplements in 24 hours and due to her low body weight - then 32.8kg with a BMI of 12.2 - ran the risk of collapse. Her medical team believed she needed to put on 7kg to allow her to be sufficiently stable to function outside the hospital.

In an affidavit, a consultant physician in gastroenterology said the woman was first admitted to hosptial in late 2012 as a result of starvation due to anorexia nervosa. Upon admission her body weight was 26 kg and she had a BMI of 9.8. She had to be artifically ventilated and a gastrostomy PEG tube was inserted in order to feed her safely.

When she regained consciousness, she was insistent she could maintain her weight and was eventually discharged home. Unfortunately, there were two readmissions since then which have lasted for several months and the woman has remained in hosptial continuously since the middle of last year, the consultant said.