Tummy tuck hospital stay

Tummy tuck hospital stay is Reasonable, Not Always Necessary

This is a matter of judgement and collaboration between you and your surgeon. I routinely do combination procedures and send patients home, but of course, we don’t throw anyone out!

If a patient feels the need to stay in the hospital for a night we keep them. On the other hand, I would not discharge a patient if I felt it was unsafe to do so.

As I mentioned, it’s a collaboration.You may also be dealing with surgeons who are oriented to either the hospital (and are more inclined to keep you a night) or to a surgery center (where they expect patients to go home after a short recovery room stay). So, you should be aware of what your doctor is used to doing. (Thomas P. Sterry, MD)

Always nice but rarely “necessary”

Tummy tuck hospital stay image

Tummy tuck along with breast lift is a very common surgical combination. We do them routinely at our surgical suites and rarely, if ever, have the patient stay the night. It is really important to have someone stay with you (not just check in on you) the first 24-48 hours after surgery just in case of emergencies and to help you get around and walk to help circulate your blood and prevent blood clots.

I see every patient the following day to make sure all is well and have often found patients rest more comfortably in their own bed. Staying overnight can be a luxury and if the patient has co-morbidities like sleep apnea or hypertension, sometimes it’s nice to be able to monitor those things. In the absence of those things, it’s probably un-necessary to stay overnight in hospital. (J. Garrett Harper, MD, Charlotte Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy tuck and breast lift

The tummy tuck hospital stay

Tummy tuck and breast lift are commonly performed at the same time. There are a number or reasons to stage surgical procedures (excessive blood loss, excessive operative time, preexisting health problems), but in general, these two procedures do not fall into those categories in healthy patients (they can be done at the same time). The advantage of having the procedures performed at the same time means that there is only one recovery period. In my experience, having two procedures at the same time does not double the difficulty or time of recovery in this patient group. It is for this same reasoning that third molars are typically extracted at the same time, not one at a time. Tummy tuck hospital staying overnight (observation) recommendations varies from surgeon to surgeon, as you noted. There is no right or wrong answer to your question. For any surgery that has a large potential blood loss, it is reasonable to stay overnight. After the typical abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) there is a large potential space where blood can collect and not be noticed by the untrained eye.

Tummy tuck surgery hospital stay

While it is unusual to have excessive bleeding after this surgery, it can, and does happen. When excessive bleeding occurs, it is advantageous to diagnose and treat it sooner rather than later. It is my preference to perform these two procedures at the same time in most patients, and to have an Tummy tuck hospital stay to check drainage, manage wound discomfort, and in some circumstances, order lab studies. Is the extra expense of overnight stay (observation) worth the added safety margin in this circumstance? In my opinion, yes. There are many other factors that are considered that affect the need for an observation period, causing bias in one way or the other. For example, one factor is proximity to your surgeon. If you live a long distance from your surgeon, then outpatient surgery (no overnight stay), in my opinion, is not appropriate. In sum, the preference for overnight stay varies from surgeon to surgeon, and either recommendation is reasonable.

Tummy tuck hospital stay picture

Disclaimer: The most accurate medical advice requires a complete history and physical with a personal consultation. This is rendered only as general information and is not medical advice. Medical advice can only be obtained by personal contact with a qualified professional. This response does not establish a physician patient relationship. (Stephen M. Herring, MD, DDS, Fayetteville Plastic Surgeon)

Do you need to stay overnight in hospital for multiple procedures?

We do combination surgeries here all the time, and they are all done as outpatient procedures. It is just fine to go home as long as someone stays with you for the night after surgery.

Tummy tuck hospital stay time

I also call my patients the night of surgery to see how they are doing. My advice is to pick your plastic surgeon with whom you feel most comfortable. (Brian Reedy, MD, Reading Plastic Surgeon)

Tummy tuck hospital stays following cosmetic surgery

The great majority of cosmetic surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis (no overnight stay). The type of procedure being performed, the overall health of the patient, and number of procedures being performed are some of the things that will be taken into consideration when determining if a patient should be observed overnight. In an otherwise healthy patient, the combination of a tummy tuck and breast lift typically does not warrant an overnight stay in the hospital. Of the three consultations you had, I recommend you choose the surgeon with whom you feel most comfortable and make sure that he/she is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. (Nicholas Tarola, MD, Nashville Plastic Surgeon)

After tummy tuck hospital stay

If we are talking about a combined surgery, I normally recommend the patient to stay overnight. Also, every surgery where I leave a surgical drain (i.e. Tummy Tuck) I prefer to have the patient stay because normally the largest debit occurs in the first 12 hours and I like to make sure the drain is not clotted when she leaves the center. (Luis A. Fernandez Goico, MD, Dominican Republic Plastic Surgeon)

This is a common combination in my practice, but its true that is a long surgery. I always recommend to stay overnight for a proper observation and also having the surgery in a Hospital. the other important fact is that you mention an important weight loss, which also increase risks. So for me, Deffinitely stay overnight. (Luis Redondo, MD, Dominican Republic Plastic Surgeon)

Abdominoplasty hospital stay

I am a big believer in overnight stays but they are not “necessary” if proper precautions are taken to the contrary. Staying is a hospital or special facility help the recovery by continuing to keep you hydrated with IV fluis, help to reduce blood clots by continuing sequntial stockings and having trained personel such as nurses help you to ambulate early after surgery.

Not to mention easy access to medications that you might not have at home. Finally, some patients after weight loss still have a lot of heavy skin, and might be close to being anemic, which means their blood count could go down low after surgery. This is easier to monitor in a hospital setting. if these issues don’t really pertain to you too much than it is really just a convenience. (Ronald Schuster, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

I typically do not perform a full tummy tuck and a full breast lift at the same procedure as these are both long operations. However, some surgeons may feel comfortable performing two such lengthy procedures at one time. Patient safety is always my primary concern. If you were to undergo both of the procedures at one time, I would highly recommend you stay overnight in a monitored setting. (Christopher J. Morea, MD, Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon)

Of course different surgeons have different preferences, but in 30 years of doing these surgeries I have never seen the necessity of staying overnight in a hospital. (Ronald V. DeMars, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)