Modernization

PLA-Wide Exertional Heat Stroke Prevention and Treatment Work Enters a New Stage

全军热射病防治工作迈入新阶段

PLA Daily (解放军报) 14 August 2026

Summary

Since the onset of the dog days of summer (入伏), the PLA-wide expert group on exertional heat stroke prevention and treatment has deployed in five directions to provide follow-on guidance to field-training units across the force, with the CMC Logistic Support Department coordinating revisions to treatment guidelines, a four-tier care chain from grassroots stations to PLA-wide prevention centers, and military-civilian cooperation agreements with local Grade-A tertiary hospitals (三甲医院). The article documents an institutionalized, force-wide medical support (卫勤保障) system built over several years, framed around the shift from '被动救治' (passive treatment) to '主动防护' (active protection) — a framing that points to prior acknowledged failures in managing training-related heat casualties. The four-unit photo spread, spanning the 73rd Group Army, the Information Support Force, the PAP, and the Joint Logistic Support Force No. 920 Hospital, establishes this as a cross-service priority, though the article provides no data on current incidence rates against which the claimed declines can be assessed.

Translation

Precise Risk Warning, Standardized Medical Treatment, Efficient Emergency Response — PLA-Wide Exertional Heat Stroke Prevention and Treatment Work Enters a New Stage

PLA Daily report by Zhang Mi and reporter Sun Xingwei: Since the onset of the dog days of summer (入伏), the PLA-wide expert group on exertional heat stroke prevention and treatment has fanned out in five directions to conduct follow-on guidance with field-training troops across the force. The head of the expert group told reporters that, after years of sustained effort, PLA-wide exertional heat stroke prevention and treatment work has entered a new stage characterized by precise risk warning, standardized medical treatment, and efficient emergency response — marking the transformation of heat stroke prevention and treatment from "passive treatment" to "active protection" (从"被动救治"向"主动防护"的转型).

A responsible official from the relevant department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Logistic Support Department introduced that in recent years, the prevention and treatment of training injuries in high-temperature environments — and heat stroke prevention and treatment in particular — has become a priority subject of medical support (卫勤保障). The PLA-wide expert group on exertional heat stroke prevention and treatment has continuously refined its prevention and treatment strategies, revised the Guidelines for the Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Heat Stroke, developed and promoted practical equipment such as heat index meters and heat stroke warning headbands, established a heat stroke monitoring, early warning, and remote consultation network covering the entire force, and has preliminarily built a full-chain health protection network (全链条健康防护网) integrating risk warning, medical treatment, and emergency response. The incidence of severe heat stroke cases and the case fatality rate across the force have declined significantly.

Photo ①: A brigade of the 73rd Group Army organizes medical support (卫勤) personnel to conduct a heat stroke prevention and treatment drill. Photo by Chen Junming.

Photo ②: Training cadre of a unit of the Information Support Force study how to use heat index charts. Photo by Duan Chenye.

Photo ③: Officers and soldiers of the PAP Anshun Detachment drink mung bean soup during training breaks to relieve heat. Photo by Liu Hongren.

Photo ④: The field medical team of Joint Logistic Support Force No. 920 Hospital conducts a heat stroke "patient" treatment drill. Photo by Yan Minming.

It is understood that the PLA-wide expert group on exertional heat stroke prevention and treatment has moved the prevention and control threshold forward (将防控关口前移), establishing a data-driven precision early warning mechanism and formulating a rapid heat tolerance screening scale covering 4 dimensions and 16 items. Before competitive assessments or high-intensity training, officers and soldiers can predict their heat stroke risk through a 3-minute test. Grassroots medical personnel can use this to conduct "red, yellow, green" three-color risk assessments of officers and soldiers, precisely identifying high-risk individuals for heat stroke and establishing health records for them.

In addition, under the overall coordination of the relevant department of the CMC Logistic Support Department, the PLA-wide expert group on exertional heat stroke prevention and treatment has revised and improved the heat stroke treatment guidelines, established mass heat stroke triage and treatment plans, standardized the "golden half-hour" (黄金半小时) transfer pathway, strengthened the capacity for standardized handling of mass heat stroke incidents, established a treatment mechanism centered on critical care medicine (重症医学科) with multidisciplinary collaboration, and standardized the clinical application pathways for key techniques such as cooling, sedation, tracheal intubation, and blood purification.

Beyond this, with an eye toward enhancing system-of-systems operational support capability (体系作战保障能力), they have built a four-tier prevention and treatment chain of "grassroots stations — central hospitals — theater command general hospitals — PLA-wide prevention and treatment centers," achieving resource sharing through technical training and mentorship to ensure seamless full-process management of heat stroke patients from on-site treatment through recovery and return to duty. They have also improved the military-civilian joint treatment mechanism, signed heat stroke treatment cooperation agreements with local Grade-A tertiary hospitals (三甲医院) in garrison areas, opened green channels (绿色通道) for heat stroke treatment, and comprehensively employed military and civilian medical resources to conduct joint treatment of heat stroke patients, building a military-civilian integrated, full-domain-coverage heat stroke prevention and treatment network.

Extended Reading

Five-Character Formula for Heat Acclimatization Training (热习服训练五字诀)

"Observe" (看): Heat acclimatization training must be conducted in a specific environment. The optimal ambient temperature for training is generally recommended to be 30°C to 36°C. When the ambient temperature exceeds 40°C, training is not recommended.

"Run" (跑): When conducting heat acclimatization training, the heat acclimatization goal can be achieved through various combinations of exercise, such as long-distance running, shuttle runs, interval running, and loaded or unloaded marching.

"Measure" (测): During heat acclimatization training, the heart rate of participants can be used to gauge training intensity. It is generally recommended that the heart rate be maintained at 140 to 160 beats per minute during heat acclimatization training.

"Replenish" (补): Fluids should be replenished promptly during breaks in heat acclimatization training. It is recommended to drink 150 to 300 milliliters before training, and to replenish fluids once every 15 to 20 minutes during training, 100 to 150 milliliters each time.

"Lengthen" (长): The heat acclimatization training cycle is generally 7 to 14 days (continuous training); in principle, interruptions within a single training cycle should not exceed 2 days.

(Compiled by Hu Zheng)

Layout design: Hu Zheng

Original Chinese

风险预警精准医疗救治规范应急处置高效全军热射病防治工作迈入新阶段解放军报讯张密、记者孙兴维报道：入伏以来，全军热射病防治专家组分5个方向，深入全军驻训部队开展跟训指导。专家组负责人告诉记者，经过多年持续努力，全军热射病防治工作迈入风险预警精准、医疗救治规范、应急处置高效的新阶段，标志着热射病防治实现从“被动救治”向“主动防护”的转型。中央军委后勤保障部有关部门负责人介绍，近年来，高温环境下训练伤防治特别是热射病防治，成为卫勤保障的重点课题。全军热射病防治专家组持续完善热射病防治策略，修订《热射病规范化诊断与治疗指南》，研发推广热指数计、中暑预警头带等实用器材，建立覆盖全军的热射病监测预警与远程会诊网络，初步构建起集风险预警、医疗救治、应急处置于一体的全链条健康防护网，全军热射病重症发生率与病死率显著下降。图①：第73集团军某旅组织卫勤官兵开展热射病防治演练。陈俊铭摄图②：信息支援部队某部训练骨干学习热指标图使用方法。段成业摄图③：武警安顺支队官兵训练间隙喝绿豆汤消暑降温。刘红任摄图④：联勤保障部队第920医院野战医疗队开展热射病“患者”救治演练。严敏铭摄据悉，全军热射病防治专家组将防控关口前移，建立基于数据驱动的精准预警机制，制订涵盖4个维度、16个条目的热耐力快速筛查量表。比武考核或高强度训练前，官兵通过3分钟测试，即可预测热射病风险。基层卫生人员可据此对官兵进行“红、黄、绿”三色风险评估，精准筛选热射病高危人群并建立健康档案。此外，在中央军委后勤保障部有关部门统筹下，全军热射病防治专家组修订完善热射病救治指南，建立批量热射病分类救治预案，规范“黄金半小时”转运路径，强化群体性热射病规范化处置能力，建立了以重症医学科为核心、多学科联合的诊疗机制，规范了降温、镇静、气管插管及血液净化等关键技术的临床应用路径。不仅如此，他们还着眼提升体系作战保障能力，构建“基层站点—中心医院—战区总医院—全军防治中心”四级防治链路，通过技术培训与帮带实现资源共享，确保热射病患者从现场救治到康复归队的全流程管理无缝衔接；完善军地联合救治机制，与驻地三甲医院签订热射病救治合作协议，开辟热射病救治绿色通道，综合运用军地医疗资源对热射病患者展开联合救治，构建起军民一体、全域覆盖的热射病防治网络。延伸阅读热习服训练五字诀 “看”：热习服训练需要在特定的环境下进行，一般建议训练的最佳环境温度为30℃至36℃。当环境温度超过40℃时，不建议进行训练。 “跑”：开展热习服训练时，可通过多种组合运动形式实现热习服目标，如长跑、折返跑、间歇跑、负重或不负重行军等。 “测”：开展热习服训练时，可用参训人员心率判定训练强度。一般建议热习服训练时，心率保持在140至160次/分。 “补”：热习服训练间歇应及时补水。建议训练前补充150至300毫升，训练中每隔15至20分钟补充1次，每次100至150毫升。 “长”：热习服训练周期一般为7至14天（连续训练），原则上一个训练周期间断时间不超过2天。（胡正整理）版式设计：胡正