What is the MELD-Na score used for?

MELD-Na was used by OPTN for U.S. liver allocation from 2016 until July 2023. It remains useful for historical comparison and research, but current allocation uses MELD 3.0.

How is MELD-Na different from the original MELD score?

The original MELD score uses only creatinine, bilirubin, and INR. MELD-Na adds serum sodium, which improves mortality prediction — particularly for patients with dilutional hyponatremia, who are at higher risk than their original MELD score suggests.

What are the creatinine limits in the formula?

Per UNOS guidelines, creatinine is capped at 4.0 mg/dL. Patients on dialysis (two or more times in the past week) are automatically assigned a creatinine of 4.0 mg/dL. Creatinine values below 1.0 are set to 1.0 to avoid negative contributions.

What sodium values are valid?

Serum sodium is capped between 125 and 137 mEq/L per the UNOS MELD-Na formula. Values below 125 are treated as 125, and values above 137 are treated as 137. This prevents extreme values from unduly inflating or deflating the score.

Is this calculator a substitute for clinical judgment?

No. This tool is for educational and informational purposes only. MELD-Na scores should always be interpreted by a qualified hepatologist or transplant specialist in the context of a complete clinical evaluation.

What score is needed to be listed for a liver transplant?

Most centers list patients when their MELD-Na score is 15 or higher, as the benefit of transplant typically outweighs the risk at that threshold. However, listing criteria vary by transplant center and region.

MELD-Na Score Calculator

Reproduce the historical 2016 MELD-Na score from creatinine, bilirubin, INR, and sodium; current OPTN allocation uses MELD 3.0.

Lab Values

Enter the most recent lab results.

Serum Creatinine (mg/dL)

Capped at 4.0 per UNOS guidelines. Dialysis patients: enter 4.0.

Total Bilirubin (mg/dL)

INR (international normalized ratio)

Serum Sodium (mEq/L)

Values outside 125–137 are capped per UNOS formula.

90-Day Mortality Risk Reference

MELD-Na	Severity	90-Day Mortality
< 10	Minimal	< 2%
10–19	Moderate	6–20%
20–29	Serious	20–50%
30–39	Severe	50–80%
≥ 40	Critical	> 80%

Mortality estimates are approximations based on published UNOS transplant registry data. Individual outcomes vary. This tool is for educational use only — not a substitute for clinical evaluation.

Summary

This calculator reproduces the MELD-Na formula used by OPTN from 2016 until MELD 3.0 replaced it in July 2023. It is retained for historical comparison and education, not current U.S. allocation. Higher historical scores indicated greater disease severity and short-term mortality risk.

How it works

Enter the patient's most recent serum creatinine level (mg/dL).
Enter total serum bilirubin (mg/dL) and INR from lab results.
Enter serum sodium (mEq/L) — values outside 125–137 are capped per UNOS guidelines.
Click Calculate to compute the historical 2016 MELD-Na score.
Review the score, severity category, and estimated 90-day mortality risk.

Use cases

Analyze historical 2016–2023 OPTN allocation data in retrospective liver research.
Compare legacy MELD-Na results side-by-side with modern MELD 3.0 calculations.
Study how dilutional hyponatremia and sodium caps altered historical mortality modeling.
Review published literature and clinical trials that reported 2016 MELD-Na scores.
Educate trainees and students on the evolution of organ allocation algorithms.
Examine historical 90-day mortality risk benchmarks for academic and educational inquiry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-09-30 · Reviewed by Nham Vu