Mogen nagellak, kunstnagels en piercings buiten het operatiegebied blijven zitten?

• An increasing number of patients wear nail polish, artificial nails or have piercings.
• There is uncertainty about the perioperative management of these items, especially when located outside the surgical area.
• In the majority of hospitals, patients are urged to remove these items preoperatively, under the assumption that they might cause problems.
• Frequently, however, these items cannot be removed straightforwardly.
• Nail polish and artificial nails only very rarely cause perioperative problems and therefore do not need to be removed pre-operatively.
• The same applies to most piercings, except when located in or near the respiratory tract, if they have sharp endings or if they might cause problems as a result of the perioperative positioning of the patient.
• Providing adequate information to the patient, knowledge about removal of these items and documentation of agreed arrangements are all important.
• A national guideline concerning perioperative policy is urgently required.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.