If they have to replace a drain, is it done with local anesthesia or general anesthesia?

Swelling in the lower abdomen after tummy tuck may be a fluid collection or it could just be swelling in the tissues.  Fluid collections or seromas can occur after tummy tucks but you do not always need to replace the drain.  In most cases draining the serous fluid with a needle and wearing a compression garment can work.  In some cases serial aspirations may be needed but it is not as common to need to replace the drain.  If the drain does have to be replaced a seroma catheter can be done comfortably under local anesthesia as you still have numbness from your surgery.Follow up with your plastic surgery so that he or she can determine the best course of action.

Many times the drain can be replaced under local anesthesia, but some might need general.  To avoid replacing a drain, your surgeon can just draw off the excess fluid once or twice a week until it stops.

If a patient develops a collection of fluid following removal of the drains, it is most commonly treated with needle aspiration. Sometimes the fluid will resolve on its own, if it is a small collection. If a drain needs to be replaced, it can be done under local anesthesia or general anesthesia, depending upon the circumstances of the fluid collection.