MELD Calculator (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease)

Enter bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium, and recent dialysis status to calculate the MELD and sodium-adjusted MELD-Na scores used to gauge liver disease severity and transplant priority.

Quick Facts

Base formula
3.78*ln(bilirubin) + 11.2*ln(INR) + 9.57*ln(creatinine) + 6.43
Lab values under 1.0 are rounded up to 1.0 before the logarithm is taken.
Sodium adjustment
MELD + 1.32*(137-Na) - 0.033*MELD*(137-Na)
Applied only when the base MELD score is above 11; sodium is bounded to 125-137 mmol/L.
Score range
6 to 40 points
Used by UNOS/OPTN to help prioritize deceased-donor liver transplant candidates.

Your Results

Calculated
MELD-Na score
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Sodium-adjusted (6-40)
Original MELD score
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Before sodium adjustment (6-40)
Est. 3-month mortality
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Original MELD validation band
Severity category
-
Based on MELD-Na

Ready

Enter bilirubin, INR, creatinine, and sodium, then calculate the MELD-Na score.

About the MELD Calculator (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease)

The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is a laboratory-based measure of liver disease severity, built from three routine blood tests: serum bilirubin, INR (international normalized ratio), and serum creatinine. It was originally developed to predict mortality after a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure, then adopted in 2002 to rank adult candidates on the U.S. liver transplant waiting list. Since January 2016, the sodium-adjusted variant, MELD-Na, has been the primary score used for that ranking.

How the score is calculated

The base score is MELD = 3.78 x ln(bilirubin) + 11.2 x ln(INR) + 9.57 x ln(creatinine) + 6.43. Any bilirubin, INR, or creatinine value below 1.0 is rounded up to 1.0 before the logarithm is taken, and creatinine is capped at 4.0 mg/dL (and set to exactly 4.0 if the patient had two or more dialysis sessions, or 24 hours of continuous veno-venous hemodialysis, in the past week). When the resulting score is above 11, sodium is factored in: MELD-Na = MELD + 1.32 x (137 - Na) - [0.033 x MELD x (137 - Na)], with sodium bounded between 125 and 137 mmol/L beforehand. Both the final MELD and MELD-Na values are rounded to the nearest whole number and bounded between 6 and 40.

Interpreting the result

Higher scores indicate more severe liver dysfunction and a higher published rate of short-term mortality. In the original validation cohort, three-month mortality rose from roughly 2% at scores under 10 to about 20% in the 20s, over 50% in the 30s, and above 70% at 40 or above. These bands describe a study population, not an individual patient, and are provided for context rather than as a personal prognosis.

When to consult a professional

This tool performs the standard MELD and MELD-Na arithmetic for education and record-keeping. It does not diagnose liver disease and does not determine actual waiting-list priority, which also depends on blood type, geography, exception points, and UNOS/OPTN policy. Any decision about liver disease management or transplant listing should be made with a hepatologist or transplant team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MELD score?
The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is a lab-based measure of liver disease severity calculated from serum bilirubin, INR, and creatinine. Originally developed to predict short-term mortality after a TIPS procedure, it was adopted in 2002 by UNOS to prioritize candidates on the U.S. liver transplant waiting list. Higher scores indicate more severe liver dysfunction and higher predicted short-term mortality without transplant.
How is the MELD-Na score calculated?
The base MELD score is 3.78 x ln(bilirubin) + 11.2 x ln(INR) + 9.57 x ln(creatinine) + 6.43, with any lab value below 1.0 rounded up to 1.0 and creatinine capped at 4.0 mg/dL. When that score is above 11, sodium is factored in: MELD-Na = MELD + 1.32 x (137 - Na) - [0.033 x MELD x (137 - Na)], with sodium bounded between 125 and 137 mmol/L. The final score is rounded and bounded between 6 and 40.
How does the MELD-Na score affect transplant priority?
Since January 2016, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has used the sodium-adjusted MELD-Na score, rather than the original MELD score, to rank most adult candidates on the U.S. deceased-donor liver waiting list. Candidates with higher MELD-Na scores generally receive higher priority, since the score correlates with short-term mortality risk. Actual allocation also depends on blood type, geography, and exception points, and is ultimately determined by the transplant team and UNOS policy, not by this calculator.

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