Tummy tucks are almost always outpatient procedures
Unless it is combined with another procedure like a hysterectomy that requires hospital admission, virtually all tummy tucks are outpatient procedures.
I haven’t had one stay in the hospital in over 10 years. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
Going Home after a Full Tummy Tuck
In my opinion, if the patient and their care-taker are well educated on what to expect and what to do there is no scientific or economic reason for keeping the patient overnight for observation.
As long as the patient is comfortable (anesthesia of the tummy tuck is assured with long acting anesthetic), he/she will get BETTER care and be much more comfortable at home.
I do a large amount of Tummy tucks and Mommy Make Over procedures and I cannot recall a case where I had to keep anyone over night. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)
Home after tummy tuck recovery
Each situation is different but in general it is se to go home after a tummy tuck. It depends both on medical factors and patient and plastic surgeon somfort. (John P. Stratis, MD, Harrisburg Plastic Surgeon)
Outpatient Tummy Tuck
It is possible and probably safe to undergo a Tummy Tuck as an out-patient. I typically keep my full TT patients in the hospital overnight and occasionally 2 nights.
This is done for pain control and to make patients comfortable with drains, etc. I am also lucky to practice in a hospital which provides a significant discount for overnight stays. (John Whitt, MD, Louisville Plastic Surgeon)
Going home after tummy tuck
Surgeons vary on their recommendations. The after care facilities range tremendously in the scope of their services as well as costs. The east, west and florida coasts tend to have more of these facilities at affordable rates.
In the Chicago area however there are no such facilities dedicated to plastic surgery. We often make arrangements depending on the unique situation by sending patients to short stay facilities with whom we have an agreement. If patients have other medical conditions which prompts us to recommend an overnight hospital stay. We have in certain unique situations arrange foe an overnight nursing care at a hotel or home. However in the vast majority of instances we send patients home with care delivered by family oe friends. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
Home after tummy tuck recovery
If you have some body to take care of you after the surgery, then outpatient surgery is fine. I like my patient to move as much as possible after surgery to prevent complications and also shorten the recovery time. (Kamran Khoobehi, MD, New Orleans Plastic Surgeon)
Most tummy tucks are done as an outpatient
Although tummy tucks are fairly major surgeries, with modern anesthesia techniques most patients are able to go home if they have a good caregiver. Longer surgeries or multiple procedures might require closer observation, but if the surgery didn’t require more than a few hours of anesthesia it is reasonable to go home most of the time. (Richard Baxter, MD, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
Tummy tuck as outpatient surgery
Probably half of my patients go home on the same day as surgery. These are patients who have excellent support systems at home, have relatively high pain tolerance, and are motivated to begin walking shortly after surgery. Many of these patients will have placement of pain pumps, which greatly dimnishes their postoperative discomfort. The other half of my patients stay overnight, either in a postoperative recovery facility with nursing care or in a hospital. These patients are anxious to have stronger pain medications and either want or require more supervision from nurses. They stay overnight, but there is an added cost associated with this. (Sam Jejurikar, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)