Liver Transplant Houston: Calculating the MELD Score and How it Works

For those patients awaiting a liver transplant, the MELD score, which is a number calculated by evaluating the bilirubin, creatinine, and INR, is what the allocation of donor livers is based on. The higher the MELD score, the more likely you will get a liver transplant. At the same time, the higher the MELD score, the greater chance of life threatening complications. The majority of deaths that occur on the liver transplant waiting list take place in those patients with the highest MELD scores.

This video outlines some of the features of the MELD score calculation, and the potential for “MELD Exception” points to be added to the calculated MELD score.

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