Breasts, bellies, below, and beyond: body piercing jewelry and the transfer technique--when in doubt, don't necessarily take it out!

30 9 body piercing, or implants, have been practiced in become increasingly common to remove body jewelry for 31 10 societies across the world for thousands of years. In diagnostic imaging (computed tomography/magnetic reso32 11 recent years, these practices have become more common nance imaging) or surgical procedures. However, the ques33 12 and widespread, moving beyond what we might have pretion of whether removal of the jewelry is indeed necessary, 34 13 viously considered a curious subculture of practitioners. especially for elective or non-emergency health care, con35 14 The implications on emergency nursing care have also tinues to be debated in the medical literature. For example, 36 15 become more evident as we strive to understand and prodoes tongue jewelry need to be removed for emergent intu37 16 vide optimal care for this ever-increasing segment of our bation? (No; intubate first, then worry about removing the 38 17 population. This article reviews the transfer technique of jewelry later.) Do nipple piercings need to be removed 39 18 exchanging body piercing jewelry with an intravenous prior to defibrillation? (No.) Does a piercing need to be 40 19 catheter to maintain piercing patency. removed if the site is infected? (No, or an abscess can 41 20 In a recent study of U.S. undergraduate college stuform.) Does a penile piercing need to be removed prior 42 21Q1 dents, 51% had something pierced besides their ears. That to placement of a Foley urinary catheter? (Sometimes, 43 22 means that in this study, odds were better than a “coin depending on whether the piercing crosses the urethra.) 44 23 flip” as to whether a young adult had body piercings For many medical procedures and types of body jewelry, 45 24 (and 22% had tattoos as well). Although no formal statisthe jury is still out and the verdict has yet to be decided. 46 25 tics exist regarding the number of body piercings perRemoval of body jewelry for procedures has raised con47 26 formed each year, it is estimated that at least several cerns among patients about maintaining patency of the pier48 27 hundred thousand body piercings are performed annually, cing tract. When experienced body piercers are asked how 49 28 and that number is not declining (E. Angel, oral commulong a piercing “hole” stays open once the jewelry has been 50 29Q2 nication, December 2010). removed, the most common answer is simply, “We just don’t 51 know.” Certainly, piercing tracts that have been in place for 52 many years have a better chance of staying open for a longer 53 Scott DeBoer is Flight Nurse, University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL, period when the jewelry is removed, but the truth is we just 54 and Founder, Peds-R-Us Medical Education, Dyer, IN. don’t know how long any tract will stay open. According to 55