Do you have to have a urine catheter during a tummy tuck?

Why? for two reasons:-sometimes the duration of the surgery may reach >3 hours, which is the limit your bladder may be full of urine, and if it gets full you may wee spontaneously on the table or just get hypotension and arrythmias during the anesthesia-if the bladder (urinary) is full may be pierced by the muscular plication work, sice when the bladder is full of urine it becames attached to the inner side of the abdominal musclesThe catheter is removed 4 hours after surgery and the patient goes home the same evening, walking by her own.

Dear Joshua - many thanks for your question.One can never say "never" in medicine, but it is certainly unusual for me to use a catheter in my practice when performing tummy tucks.If however the surgery is more involved and lengthy, such as post-massive weight loss body contouring, then that is a different situation, and I may well use one.I hope that helps!

I would ask your surgeon about that as the answer may differ surgeon to surgeon.  I
would search for the board certified plastic surgeon who you feel is
most likely to give you the best results and who performs hundreds of
these procedures each year. I would look at patient reviews as well as
before and after photos on that surgeon's website.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Hi and thanks for your question. I'm sure other women and men are concerned about that as well. The short answer is no. I never use one for a tummy tuck procedure. If however numerous other procedures were being done such that the duration of the total procedure was 6 to 8 hours, I might consider one.Best wishes,Joel A. Williams, M.D., FACS