Dance to the rhythm of thrombosis prevention
8 clever ways to make “From Head to Toe, Take Control” part of your awareness message
That childhood tune “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” might be simple, but it carries a powerful message. Thrombosis can strike anywhere in the body from top to bottom.
The ISTH World Thrombosis Day theme, From Head to Toe, Take Control: Prevent Thrombosis. Protect Your Health, turns that familiar melody into a unifying call to action.
Whether your group champions hospital-associated thrombosis, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke or myocardial infarction, the campaign links every story, venous and arterial, in one memorable message.
Why it matters
Thrombosis isn’t just one condition, it’s the underlying cause of the world’s leading killers, from heart attack and stroke to PE and DVT – together venous thromboembolism (VTE). Whether arterial or venous, hospital-associated or community-based, the burden is massive and largely preventable. The From Head to Toe campaign brings that full-body impact into one powerful message.
Here are eight easy ways to blend the theme into your World Thrombosis Day programs this year:
1. Map the anatomy of risk
Print or draw a simple body outline and mark key clot sites, such as cerebral sinuses, coronary arteries, pulmonary arteries and/or deep leg veins. One poster shows members, patients and partners that thrombosis is systemic not siloed. Add the image to slides, newsletters and lobby screens.
2. Amplify your message with hashtags
Pair #HeadToToeControl with #WTDay25 on every post. You can also use specialty hashtags like #HAT #DVT #PE #AFib. Dual-tagged content earns stronger cross-disciplinary sharing because cardiology, neurology and hematology audiences discover one another.
3. Spotlight patient ambassadors
Ask survivors to film a 30-second video or reel sharing their head-to-toe journey. Start with where the clot struck, end with how they protect the rest of their body today through mobility breaks, anticoagulants or lifestyle checks. Edit the clips into a TikTok style reel set to the childhood song.
4. Turn ward rounds into head-to-toe rounds
If you work in a hospital or healthcare clinic, encourage teams to use the slogan as a daily checklist.
- Head: neurological Status, stroke prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation
- Shoulders and chest: Central lines, PE signs
- Abdomen and pelvis: Post-surgical VTE prophylaxis
- Legs and toes: Calf checks, mobility cues
A recent study in three European centers showed that a structured VTE checklist cut missed prophylaxis doses by 29% within six months. Societies can share this tool across their member hospitals.
5. Create a clot map with “From Head to Toe”
Host a live or virtual session where participants place colored stickers on a large body outline. Use one color for venous sites and another for arterial. The low-tech activity makes whole-body risk tangible and generates photos for social media or other digital communications.
6. Create a prophylaxis punch kit
Gather your existing resources and materials on anticoagulation, compression and early ambulation under a single Head to Toe cover sheet. Add QR codes that link to multilingual videos. Hospitals report higher pick-up rates when information comes in one package instead of separate racks.
7. Rally your region
National and regional societies can brand World Thrombosis Day events with the slogan. Add it to email banners, translate it for local use or invite members to post how their work contributes to clot prevention across the body. Consistent wording builds recognition while giving every community its own voice.
8. Add it to your scientific toolkit
Use the theme to frame webinars, videos and more. It highlights the full-body burden of thrombosis and the shared ground among vascular medicine, hematology, cardiology and stroke care. A catchy umbrella phrase makes science media-ready for press releases, lay summaries and public statements throughout October for World Thrombosis Day.
Here are a few key statistics to know:
- Ischemic heart disease and stroke are the top two causes of death globally, responsible for more than 16 million deaths in 2021 alone. Most strokes are caused by arterial clotting.
- VTE is the third most common acute cardiovascular condition, affecting at least 10 million people each year worldwide.
- Up to 60% of VTE cases are hospital-associated, and up to 70% of those are preventable with appropriate thromboprophylaxis.
- Hospital-associated VTE is the leading cause of cardiovascular disability in low- and middle-income countries, and the second leading cause in high-income countries, ranking above conditions like sepsis and adverse drug reactions.
- Recent analyses indicate that age-standardized mortality rates from VTE have increased over the past five years, likely influenced by factors such as vascular inflammation and reduced access to medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These statistics underscore the urgent need for awareness and prevention, but a simple, memorable message can help bridge gaps across specialties, sectors and geographies.
So cue the music, tap your toes and let’s make From Head to Toe, Take Control the chorus every audience remembers—no matter which clot they fight first.
Ready-made graphics, toolkits, social media frames and evidence sheets are available at worldthrombosisday.org/headtotoe. Download now and start remixing.
References
- Raskob GE, Zondag MT, Kakkar AK, et al. Thrombosis: A Major Contributor to the Global Disease Burden. Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpth.2024.100255
- Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 (GBD 2021) Results. Seattle, United States: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2023. Available from: https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
- Wendelboe AM, Weitz JI. Global Health Burden of Venous Thromboembolism. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2024;44(5):1007-1011. https://doi.org/10.1161/ATVBAHA.124.320151