Can I Have a Tummy Tuck Done with a Spinal Block Instead of Under General?

              A tummy tuck is usually performed under general as the level of block with spinal anesthesia provided will not help with anesthesia of the upper abdomen.   Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of tummy tucks and liposuction 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

while epidural can effectively anesthetise below the belly button level, it can not effectively numb the area above. A real tummy tuck requires tightening of the abdominal muscle up to the breasts, which will require adequate anesthesia in the upper abdomen, which can not be provided by an epidural!

Hello,

I disagree with my colleagues.  It is a long surgery that involves manipulating tissue at or above the lower edge of the rib cage, far to high to safely block by epidural anesthesia without risk of respiratory depression (inability to breath).  If you are healthy enough to have an abdominoplasty, then general anesthesia is a safe technique, and far more pleasant than being awake and probably in pain.  If you have issues with post operative nausea and vomiting, then you can discuss that with the anesthesiologist so that medications used during surgery minimize that risk. 

Best of luck!

Thanks for your inquiry, a tummy tuck could be done under a spinal anesthesia.  I reccomend you select a surgeon and anesthesiologist who have done many tummy tucks this way.  Your comfort, safety, and the result are all affected if your anesthesia is not working well.  Good luck.

Thanks for your question. You definitely can have a tummy tuck performed in that way, although post-op your mobility may be affected and they may wish to have you spend the night in the hospital (something that is not routinely needed) depending on how quickly the spinal effects wear off. Good luck!

Matthew Concannon MD

You can do a Tummy tuck operation under spinal anesthesia. Most often it is done if there is a specific reason not to do general anesthesia. For example if the patient has conditions that make general anesthesia more dangerous to his/her health it may be advisable to do regional/spinal aneshesia to avoid potential problems.

It is indeed possible to have abdominoplasty performed without general anesthesia.  Depending on your personality and pain tolerance, some patients have this done under sedation rather than general anesthesia with generous use of local.  If you're having your muscle tightened I also use blood thinner prior to this procedure because it is the highest risk for blood clot in your leg of all the cosmetic procedures that we do. Having a chance to visit with your anesthesia provider at least by phone prior to the day of surgery is desirable

This can be done. Be certain your surgeon knows this is your preference and that arrangements are made in advance with the anesthesiologist so that no surprises are encountered on the day of surgery. Be prepared to hear the pros and cons of the types of anesthesia that are available 

All the best. 

Thank you for the question. It is possible to undergoing abdominoplasty using the spinal anesthesia. One major consideration however is the use of blood thinners during surgery which I routinely do based on the risks of clotting tendency calculated for each patient. If so, this is a relative contraindication to having spinal anesthesia.