MELD Score Calculator - Model for End Stage Liver Disease

MELD Score Calculator

• The MELD calculator also known as the Model For End-Stage Liver Disease Calculator helps health care providers. 
• The results of the MELD calculator should never be used alone to determine a patient’s medical treatment. 
• MELD Score Calculator estimates a patient’s chances of surviving their disease during the next three months. 
• The MELD calculator is a statistical model and is not a substitute for an individual treatment plan developed by a doctor with personal knowledge of a specific patient. 
• Other important factors that must be considered include the patient’s medical history and the experience, knowledge, and training of the doctor. 
• Doctors should personally discuss these results with patients when presenting prognoses or treatment recommendations.

Steps To Calculate MELD Score

Here are 4 steps to calculate the Model For End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD)

1. Enter the Bilirubin in mg/dL
2. Enter the Creatinine in mg/dL
3. Enter the INR value
4. Calculate MELD Score

MELD Calculator Formula

Here is a formula to calculate MELD 

MELD = 9.57 × loge (creatinine) + 3.78 × loge (total bilirubin) + 11.2 × loge (INR) + 6.43.

MELD Score

• The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a scoring system that is used to assess the severity of liver disease and predict the risk of death in patients with cirrhosis. 
• It was developed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in the United States and is now widely used in the assessment of patients who are candidates for liver transplantation.
• The MELD score ranges from 6 to 40 and is calculated using three laboratory values: serum creatinine, bilirubin, and international normalized ratio (INR) of prothrombin time. 
• The higher the MELD score, the more urgent the patient's need for a transplant.
• MELD is also used for prioritizing patients on the transplant waiting list and to allocate scarce organs in a fair and objective way. 
• The MELD score is updated every 7 days and it is used as a guide for the transplant center to decide when to list the patients, and also to decide on the urgency of transplantation.

MELD Score Importance

• The MELD score is used to prioritize patients on the liver transplant waiting list, with higher scores indicating a more urgent need for a transplant. 
• It is also used to allocate scarce organs in a fair and objective way. 
• The MELD score is calculated every 7 days and is used as a guide for transplant centers to decide when to list patients and the urgency of transplantation.
• The MELD score does not accurately predict survival in all patients with cirrhosis; conditions such as liver cancer, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and aortopulmonary hypertension, are associated with a higher mortality rate than the MELD score would reflect.
• Therefore, patients with these conditions may receive additional MELD points when listed for liver transplantation

MELD Score Normal Range

• The MELD score ranges from six to 40 and is based on results from several lab tests. 
• The higher the number, the more likely you are to receive a liver from a deceased donor when an organ becomes available.

Here is the normal range of the MELD score.

What Does MELD Score Mean?

• The MELD score estimates a patient’s chances of surviving their disease during the next three months. 
• Organ allocation is determined by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). 
• Livers from deceased donors are allocated to the sickest patients first.

How Often Is Your MELD Score Updated?

Your MELD score changes as your condition changes. If you get sicker, your score goes up.

Depending on how critical your disease is, your MELD score may be recalculated as often as once a week.

Doctors look at your last MELD score to determine when to order new lab tests. Here are typical MELD scores and how often they're recalculated:

• 25 or higher: Every week
• 19-24: Every 30 days
• 11-18: Every three months
• 10 or less: Once a year

The MELD score ranges from six to 40 and is based on results from several lab tests. The higher the number, the more likely you are to receive a liver from a deceased donor when an organ becomes available.

MELD Score For Liver Transplant

Your MELD score is a prime indicator in determining how urgently you need a transplant. But, it isn't the only factor. Other considerations include:

• Your blood type
• Your body size relative to the donor’s
• Geographical considerations (i.e. how close you are to the donor's liver)
• Current supply of, and demand for, deceased donor livers

MELD Score Use

MELD Scores are used to prioritize liver transplantation:

• >15: may benefit from liver transplantation

Certain clinical situations lead to automatic increases in the MELD score in an attempt to increase or decrease waiting times on a liver transplant waiting list:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma: +22 points
• Hepatopulmonary syndrome
• Familial amyloidosis
• Primary oxaluria (pediatric patients)
• The use of the MELD score to prioritize transplants have to lead to a decreased rate of pretransplant death for those on the waiting list, but the use of the score causes some controversy because it does not indicate the survival benefit of transplantation.
• Patients with acute liver failure are given a distinction called "status 1," which supersedes MELD scores in terms of transplantation prioritization (1).
• The PELD score is used for patients younger than 12 years of age.

Summary

Overall Meld score helps to find out for End-Stage Liver Disease, and it is used to predict the severity of liver disease and the need for liver transplantation. Check More Medical Health Related Calculator on Drlogy Calculator to get exact health solution.

Reference

• Model for End-Stage Liver Disease by Wikipedia [1].
• MELD Score by Wikidoc [2].