The World Health Organization (WHO) hosted an expert committee on chronic cor pulmonale in Geneva, Switzerland, from 10 to 15 October 1960. In the introduction of the report [1], the authors underscored that the attention of the Director General of the WHO had been drawn to the fact that, while the lung diseases causing pulmonary heart disease (corresponding to the exact translation of the term cor pulmonale in original Latin) had been studied in detail, there was little reliable information concerning the incidence of important secondary effects on the pulmonary circulation and right ventricle. Importantly, the authors made it clear that the term "chronic" indicated that the report intended to exclude secondary effects on the right heart arising in the course of a few days or weeks from acute pulmonary disorders [1]. The objectives of this report were to define chronic cor pulmonale, to provide a tentative classification of diseases which might cause the syndrome, to describe its pathophysiology and to establish criteria for diagnosis [1].

世界卫生组织 （WHO） 于 1960 年 10 月 10 日至 15 日在瑞士日内瓦主办了慢性肺病专家委员会。在报告的介绍中 [1]，作者强调，世界卫生组织总干事已经注意到这样一个事实，即虽然已经详细研究了导致肺心病的肺部疾病（对应于原始拉丁语中肺病一词的确切翻译），但关于对肺循环和右心室的重要继发性影响的发生率的可靠信息很少。重要的是，作者明确指出，“慢性”一词表示该报告旨在排除急性肺疾病在数日或数周内对右心产生的继发性影响[1]。本报告的目的是定义慢性肺病，对可能导致该综合征的疾病进行初步分类，描述其病理生理学，并建立诊断标准[1]。