Exparel or Pain Pump? Does Anyone Feel There is a Difference?

I have used
both exparel and pain pumps previously in my practice for my tummy tuck
surgeries. When I started practice I was
using the pain pumps, about two years ago I starting using the exparel and I
never went back to the pain pumps.

The exparel in
my patients has created an enhanced experience for my patients for several
reasons. One I typically do not use any
drains with my tummy tuck so with the use of the exparel I don’t have any
standard drainage tubes or the tubes connected to the pain pumps for the
patients to deal with after surgery. The
second reason is that with exparel is injected at the time of surgery, so there
is no concern of the pain pump tubing be removed prematurely, kinking or having
any type of problems. Thirdly and most
importantly the exparel can be injected directly to the areas where you plastic
surgeon wants it. It can be injected
along the muscles that are tightened, any areas that liposuction was performed
and along your incision.

In my
experience patients have had a much easier recovery after their tummy tuck with
the exparel then with the pain pumps. It
makes such a difference for patients that every one of my tummy tuck patient
receives the exparel.

Please discuss
the two options with your board certified plastic surgeon.

Thank you for the question. These days plastic surgeons have many options when it comes to pain control after tummy tuck surgery. The use of narcotic medication, muscle relaxants, non-narcotics, pain control pumps, and long-lasting local anesthetics have made the postoperative experience much better than in the past. In my opinion, there is no demonstrable difference between the use of local anesthesia provided through a pain pump versus long lasting injectable anesthetics. There are certainly no objective studies that demonstrate the superiority of one over the other. Best wishes.

I use exparel for nerve blocks in all of my abdominoplasty procedures.Instead of just injecting the exparel into the skin or muscle, I actually perform a *true* nerve block of the intercostal nerves that supply the abdominal wall with sensation. My patients have been thrilled, and you can see for yourself with the link below.I perform what is called a TAP block, where I directly observe the needle going into the internal oblique muscle where the nerves are found. My patients still have discomfort after a tummy tuck, but it is just that: discomfort. My patients do not require much in the way of oral pain medications and the return to activities is much quicker than before I was using exparel. It is worth it all the way!