How to Calculate Meld

A Model for End-Stage Liver Disease ("MELD") score predicts the three month mortality rate for those suffering with liver disease. Calculations are based on the evaluation of three different blood tests: international normalized ratio (INR), bilirubin and creatinine. The score ranges from 6 to 40. The higher the score, the worse off of the patient. Based on the patient's health, MELD scores can fluctuate. The scores are calculated many times while a patient remains on a transplant wait list. The sickest patients typically receive the first transplants. Many websites provide MELD calculators.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine the patient's INR, bilirubin and creatinine blood test results. It is helpful to keep a patient's date of birth in mind when considering the calculations. Many online calculators request the patient's date of birth or suggest that results are more accurate for patients age 12 and older.

• 2

  Plug the blood test results into the following calculation: 10 {0.957 Ln(creatinine value) + 0.378 Ln(bilirubin value) + 1.12 Ln(INR value) + 0.643}. Ln stands for the Natural Log. It is the logorithm for the irrational constant base e. It comes to approximately 2.718281828. The minimum value for each variable is 1. The maximum creatinine value is 4.

• 3

  Calculate the results. Patient's receive transplants based on "medical urgency" which means based on their MELD score in lieu of their time on the wait list. Thus, while a higher MELD score means that the patient is sicker, it might prove advantageous because it moves the patient up the wait list.