Do you need a hospital bed after a Tummy Tuck?

Question

I am preparing for a full Tummy Tuck with muscle repair and liposuction to the outer thighs. I have read that many patients rent a hospital bed. What is your opinion on the hospital bed?

Michael Orseck, MD · Answer

a hospital bed is not necessary following abdominoplasty. Sleeping with the waist flexed and pillows under the knees for the first weeks or so would be fine

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

You do not need a hospital bed after tummy tuck.A physical exam would be necessary to make a determination about the appropriate intervention.Find a board certified plastic surgeon who performs hundreds of tummy tuck procedures each year.  Then look at the 
plastic surgeon's 
 website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can  
deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Eugene Kim, MD · Answer

I don't recommend a hospital bed after a tummy tuck due to the additional costs.  Instead, most of my patients sleep in a recliner or I have them place pillows behind their back and under their knees so they are bent at the hips at all times.

Mark E. Mason, MD · Answer

I would not advise you spending money on a hospital bed. I recommend that patients sleep in a reclining chair so that it relieves some stress on the stomach muscles. You should also be getting up and around several times a day even immediately after surgery to prevent the possibility of a blood clot forming. If you don't have a recliner, propping up several pillows behind your back and head and one under your knees so that they are slightly bent should work just fine until you are comfortable enough to sleep flat or on your side.

Jaime Campos Leon, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question.If you have a hospital bed, this would make your recovery much better and more comfortable. If you don't have a chance to get this, then my suggestion is to use plenty of comfortable pillows that can assist your sleeping as well as your positions in different ways during the recovery process.

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

You absolutely do not need a hospital bed.  Pillows will do the trick. Some patients are comfortable with a reclining chair but you can achieve the same concept with a bit of ingenuity.  Don't waste your money!

Eric A. Weiss, MD, FACS · Answer

Definitely not. However you will be most comfortable with your hips flexed after surgery. This is a sitting position. A recliner is great for a couple of days after surgery, and then a bed with pillows under knees and back. You will do fineEric Weiss MD

Victor Ferrari, MD, FACS · Answer

You definitely don't need a hospital bed after a tummy tuck. .Many of my patients sleep in a recliner right after surgery.  If they want to sleep in their beds, I recommend they prop their heads up on pillows and also have pillows under their knees.  As long as your abdomen is flexed, you should be comfortable.  I hope it goes well for you!

Lewis Ladocsi, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi Better at 40.  No, you do not need a hospital bed while recovering from a tummy tuck.  I suggest you spend the money on new clothes instead!

Do you need a hospital bed after a Tummy Tuck?

Answers (9)

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