Who Owns the Toe? The hidden battle over responsibility, accountability, and limb salvage

Dr. G examines how diabetic toes and ulcers are rarely just wounds but visible warnings of neuropathy, poor circulation, infection, and gaps in care. He asks who is responsible for protecting the foot — the patient, primary care, podiatry, vascular, infectious disease, surgery, or nursing — and how fragmented referrals and delayed access can lead to a cascade ending in amputation. The episode also explains hospital handling of amputated tissue, patients’ rights to their removed parts, and the future of limb preservation through surveillance technologies and coordinated responsibility to prevent avoidable loss.