The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) Score Predicts the Survival Period of Patients with Liver Failure

Abstract

The liver is the largest essential internal organ in the body. A healthy liver is necessary for survival that can regenerate most of its own cells when these are damaged. The Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a numerical scale that is reported as a whole number, and is used to predict survival in patients with cirrhosis and liver failure. It is an objective measure incorporating three quantitative values, such as serum creatinine, international normalized ratio (INR), and serum bilirubin that are readily available, reproducible, and objective. It is used to prioritize and allocate adult patients with liver cirrhosis waiting for a liver transplantation (LT). The transplant teams should take decision of LT for patients with higher MELD scores. Liver failure patients with MELD score≥20 should be regarded as high risk for mortality. Although, MELD is an ideal score, it cannot provide accurate information of survival in 15–20% cases. In this study an attempt has been taken to highlight the importance of MELD score for LT patients.