On our SALSA “Toe and Flow” service, we often operate in close quarters. This
has led to many appellations for and colloquialisms used by various team members. Here is a partial (and running) list:
- SOLEcial media: breeding ground for bacteria on a diabetic foot.
- The Digital ManifesTOE: Saving Soles- one toe at a time
- Pedicurious: intense diagnostic or therapeutic interest in the high risk foot (or in the outcomes of pedicures gone wrong)
- Toerigami: a surgical procedure involving the creative use of healthy tissue to close a complex foot wound.
- Flowsposo/ Toesposa – SALSAspeak describing one’s interdisciplinary spouse
- FLOWmenco: a clinical dance requiring great skill to enhance peripheral circulation.
- Coma Toes: Digital lower extremity suspended animation. A precarious state.
- InToesusseption: Common deformity in Charcot Foot when a toe is above or below the neighbor one. Also applies for Mills’ disagreement with Armstrong’s patient management.
- “It’s going Fungal”: The podiatric equivalent of going viral
- Post TOEmatic Stress Disorder (or FLOWmatic): The case that stays with a surgeon after he/she leaves the OR.
- “The Sound of Sepsis”: A Favorite Tune by Flowman and Toefunkel
- Toe and Faux: A “Toe and Flow” team with the lack of a robust vascular service
- Dudley Flowright and Toewinkle: popular characters from the 1960s cartoon transposed to SALSA clinic.
- DemisToephi: To effectively communicate a complex toe and flow condition
- Neuro-apathy: In the absence of pain, the dissociation between wound and person experienced in diabetes.
- Extreme DUI = Extreme Diabetic Undrained Infection
- Toe and Flow-Strodamus: Predictions for the Toe and Flow Future
- Caveat amp-toe: Let the amputator beware
- Toe away zone: when a gangrenous digit is unlikely to survive, it is parked here.
- Flowchacho (or Toechacho): A collquial (toeloquial) expression of affection and/or greeting within the SALSA bowl. See: toemigo/flowmigo.
- Intoeition: knowing there is a foot infection present even when radiographs and white count are normal
- Sole-ar power: generation of energy through ambulation
- NewTOEnian: physics strategies aimed at reducing mechanical stress.
- Happy Toe Lucky: A description of Dr. Armstrong’s generally cheery world view.
- Portmantoe (derivation of portmanteau): A combination of two words– one referring specifically to feet
- (Lap) Toely Cystectomy: an in-clinic drainage of an abscess with the extremity resting on a the draped leg (lap) of the surgeon.
- Flowpecia areata: absence of flow to a region. Flowpecia totalis (total lack of flow– works for toepecia, too).
- Toliloquy: “Toe be or not Toe be”
- InToelectual: One prone to deep thinking on matters of the sole
- Toe Stopper: A particularly engaging podiatric lecture (see “showstopper”)
- Hal-Lex Luthor and Clark Stent: The constant verbal battle between Armstrong and Mills in clinic.
- Toestra Knowstra: The body of knowledge contained within the diabetic foot “family”.
- PUSterity: doing an emergency incision and drainage for pusterity’s sake because it’s the right thing to do.
- FeTOEccini al dedo: 1/4 inch gauze packing
- Intoedependence: One word describing the synergistic nature of toe and flow
- Sphere of toefluence: A “toe and flow” team’s impact on a hospital, region or nation.
- TOEken appearance: making an unscheduled visit to clinic
- EnTOErage: a particularly large toe and flow team conducting ward rounds.
- Out on a limb: A bold, sometimes quixotic prediction for healing
- Count Vascula: A characteristically imperious (if not anonymous) Vascular Surgeon.
- TOElemetry: Remote monitoring of foot complications
- Faux pod: One’s non-podiatric clinical partner masquerading as a toe doctor (Fun alternative: Toe Pas).
- ToeFU: Much like SNAFU, but for a foot.
- Toeverflow: The resultant swelling and inundation of podiatric patients on a Toe/Flow service secondary to referral from local, frequently rural emergency departments.
- The Limb Reaper: A disparaging definition of diabetes and its end stage complications.
- ArisTOEcratic: of, or belonging to, a family or lineage of clinicians taking care of feet (see TOEbless Olbige)
- Well Heeled: Successful epithelialization after a partial calcanectomy.
- WD40 = Wound Dialysis at 40ml/hr.
- STENTorian: a particularly vocal endovascular enthusiast.
- Fuss und Fluss: Toe and Flow in German
- PhoToegenic: a particularly aesthetically pleasing foot photograph.
- Hot ToeMolly: an emergency SALSA vascular lab consultation by SALSA vascular tech Molly Castrillo
- LepowSuction: Drainage of infection by the eponymous SALSA fellow
- Podagogue- pedantic generalizations and teachings made about ampuatation prevention and wound healing. This is the root of podagogy (noun).
- InTOEgration: living an interdisciplinary toe and flow lifestyle
- Digital Remaster: A particularly complex foot reconstruction
- ApopTOEsis: programmed toe death
- In Extensus Dedo: A dangerously prominent digit, prone to shoe gear irritation.
- Toepiary: a place where surgical irrigation meets surgical landscaping.
- Godfather of Sole: An honorific for one’s professional mentor(s)
- Un-Met need: Someone who, by virtue of having a neuropathic wound and profound deformity, requires a metatarsal head resection.
- Toe & Tell: Getting a proper medical history from a patient with a diabetic foot complication
- US
- Toepocalypse: An impending diabetic foot calamity– such as the one that is waiting for us in the operating room when we write this blog.
- Vaya con Dedos: A parting wish upon leaving the SALSA clinics or operating room. “Go with Toes” (rather than without)
- Carpe Dedos: Sieze the Toe (while this may have come up before, Tim wanted to ensure it made the list).
- Hammertosis Fugax: A person with diabetes and blindness who develops a neuropathic wound on a contracted toe. This is not to be mistaken with Amaurosis Fugax, which is blindness due to transient retinal ischemia. The two may coexist, forming a dual fugue kind of scenario
- Missle Toe: a penetrating traumatic toe injury in a person with diabetes
- Turf Toe: a referral to SALSA without a solid medical rationale
- ManifesTOE: An operative report following an amputation prevention procedure (bypass or incision and drainage or graft/flap.
- Toemigo/Flowmigo (self explanatory)
- FreeToes with SALSA (mantra for limb salvage)
- Toebama and Joe the Plumber (nicknames designed to politicize the Toe and Flow team– however, there are no wedge issues in SALSA– just wedge pressures).
- Toe and Flowmance (bromance between podiatrist and vascular surgeon)
- The Toebel “piece” prize: Award for prevention periodically given for keeping a person intact.
- FloJoe (Armstrong’s affectionate nickname for Mills)
- Toe Bless Oblige (the obligation to improve foot care)
- Podshine
- Der DopplerGanger – referring to one’s vascular partner
- Sir I-Pod (international podiatrist)
- PodCaster
- Toe Mechanic
- SALSA Bowl (for our laboratories)
- Podiatric physician extender (given to our vascular surgical team)
- SALSA Relay: handing off a particularly challenging patient between SALSA team members.
- Non-life partner: one’s professional SALSA partner
- Marooned on the Pedal Peninsula: trying to heal a wound on the foot without sufficient blood flow.
- Impaired Toemerular Filtration Rate (TFR): End Stage Renal Disease’s ravages on healing.
- MalaPodism: diagnosing a foot problem incorrectly– or as something else.
- EuTOEpia: A state of podiatric and vascular bliss.
- Podtification: contemplation on a particularly difficult patient.
- Podogenic: A particularly impressive foot photograph
- Podigraphy: Medical imaging for the feet
- The Sole Train: A typically busy Armstrong-Mills tuesday SALSA clinic
- Sole searching: a particularly thorough foot examination
- Filet of Sole: the proper way to drain an extensive plantar space infection
- Plantar fascist: one who lines him or herself against a team approach to limb salvage.
- Toereador: one who fights diabetic foot infections
- Sourtoe roll: Patients with infections that tend to roll in on Friday afternoon.
- Toeligarchy (Flowligarchy)/singular: Toeligarch: The “Toe and Flow” team, run by benign digital despots.
- Podiatrust: faith in ones SALSA parter (from George Andros)
- EsperanTOE: the act of bringing different professional and patient communication systems into alignment (versus speaking in tongues).
- FDA = Fungal Dedos Alliance
- Purulent Discharge leads to a Purulent Admission (courtesy of our Flowmigo Neal Barshes) – AKA time is tissue!
- “Lance” Armstrong (aka Sir lance-a-lot). Alternate monickers for David G. Armstrong (courtesy of SALSA Patient Mr. O)
There are many more. We will try to update this list periodically. Any suggestions? Send a note to: armstrong@usa.net
Fantastic 👌