Developing a heart score: next steps.

The meeting of the Advisory Board of Experts in Pulmonary Hypertension (ABEPH) in 2011 discussed the potential development of a prognostic score for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) based on parameters associated with right ventricular function. During the discussion, a shortlist of parameters derived from hemodynamic, echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and biomarker analysis was developed. This shortlist is the starting point for developing a score that reflects heart function; such a score could have potential in the future clinical management of patients with PAH.