MELD Score Calculator

Enter INR, bilirubin, creatinine, and sodium to calculate the MELD and MELD-Na score for liver transplant waitlist prioritization.

Use the MELD Score Calculator

For educational use only. MELD scores used for official liver transplant listing must be verified through UNOS/OPTN-compliant systems by qualified transplant clinicians.

1 Laboratory Values

Use the most recent values. See notes below for dialysis patients.

Normal: ~1.0. Values below 1.0 are set to 1.0 in the MELD formula.

Total bilirubin. Normal: 0.2–1.2 mg/dL. Values below 1.0 are set to 1.0.

Normal: 0.6–1.2 mg/dL. Values below 1.0 are set to 1.0; values above 4.0 are capped at 4.0.

Normal: 135–145 mEq/L. Sodium below 125 is set to 125; above 137 is set to 137 in the MELD-Na adjustment formula.

Formula Reference

MELD = 3.78 × ln(Bilirubin) + 11.2 × ln(INR) + 9.57 × ln(Creatinine) + 6.43
MELD-Na = MELD + 1.32 × (137 − Na) − [0.033 × MELD × (137 − Na)]

All logarithms are natural (ln). Lab values below 1.0 are floored at 1.0 before applying ln. Creatinine is capped at 4.0 mg/dL. Final scores are rounded to the nearest integer and reported in the range 6–40.

Enter lab values on the left
and click Calculate.

MELD Score — 90-Day Mortality Reference

MELD Score Approx. 90-Day Mortality Risk Category Clinical Context
≤ 91.9%Very LowCompensated cirrhosis; monitor closely
10–196–19%Low–ModerateConsider transplant evaluation if MELD ≥ 15
20–2919–52%HighActive listing usually indicated
30–3952–71%Very HighHigh-urgency listing; consider ICU-level care
≥ 40> 71%CriticalHighest urgency; goals-of-care discussion

Mortality estimates derived from Kamath PS et al. (Hepatology 2001) and UNOS data. Individual outcomes vary. MELD ≥ 15 is the threshold at which transplant typically confers survival benefit over medical management.

Summary

The MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score is a validated, logarithm-based scoring system used by UNOS/OPTN to prioritize patients on the liver transplant waitlist. It uses three laboratory values — INR, total bilirubin, and serum creatinine — to predict 90-day mortality in patients with chronic liver disease. MELD-Na extends the original formula by incorporating serum sodium, improving predictive accuracy especially for patients with hyponatremia. Scores range from 6 to 40 (capped), with higher values indicating greater disease severity and transplant urgency. MELD 3.0, introduced in 2022, further refines the formula to address sex-based outcome disparities.

How it works

  1. Enter the patient's INR (International Normalized Ratio) from the most recent blood test.
  2. Enter the serum total bilirubin in mg/dL.
  3. Enter the serum creatinine in mg/dL; if the patient is on dialysis twice weekly, enter 4.0.
  4. Enter the serum sodium in mEq/L for the MELD-Na calculation.
  5. Click Calculate to compute MELD, MELD-Na, and the estimated 90-day mortality.
  6. Review the score breakdown and risk interpretation in the results panel.

Use cases

  • Determine liver transplant waitlist priority according to UNOS/OPTN allocation policy.
  • Estimate 90-day mortality risk in patients with cirrhosis or acute-on-chronic liver failure.
  • Guide clinical decisions about timing of liver transplant evaluation referral.
  • Monitor disease progression by calculating MELD serially over time.
  • Stratify patients for inclusion in clinical trials studying chronic liver disease.
  • Educate medical students and residents on evidence-based liver disease prognostication.
  • Compare calculated MELD to institutional or registry benchmarks.
  • Assess hyponatremia impact on prognosis using MELD-Na.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-05-23 · Reviewed by Nham Vu