Pain Pumps for Pain Control After a Tummy Tuck?

Pain pumps are now very commonly used after tummy tucks.

They deliver a controlled, foolproof amount of local anesthetic (numbing medicine) directly into the area of fascial tightening.  There are no buttons to press.  The medicine is delivered over a period of three days, after which time most patients start to wean off their pain medication.  

Good pain control is not only good for patient comfort; it also prevents splinting and collapse of segments of the lung after surgery, and enables the patient to walk better.  Win-win.

Thank you for the question. Good pain control after tummy tuck is very important for many reasons. Besides the important concern of patient comfort, good pain control allows for better/easier deep breathing exercises and ambulation. These measures may lead to decreased incidences of pulmonary complications and/or thromboembolic phenomenon.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. The specific medications used will vary from one practice to another.In our practice, all patients undergoing, tummy tuck surgery receive a postoperative pain control pump. I have yet to have a patient complain of the "hassle" factor. 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.

"Pain pumps" such as the On-Q system have been in use for several years with tummy tucks and are very helpful. They infuse a numbing solution into the surgical area through tiny catheters over about 3 days. A newer alternative is Exparel, a slow-release numbing agent that does not require the catheter or reservoir bulb.