MELD (model for end-stage liver disease) score

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  • Your Mayo Clinic care team. At Mayo Clinic, a multidisciplinary team of specialists work together to evaluate and treat each individual. With 13 specialty groups and more than 140 digestive disease specialists on staff, the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic is one of the largest and most experienced in the world.
  • Advanced diagnosis and treatment. Precise diagnosis and staging of cirrhosis is important to guiding treatment. Mayo Clinic researchers invented magnetic resonance elastography, a noninvasive test that maps stiffness of the liver. This state-of-the-art imaging helps Mayo specialists find liver disease early, giving people the opportunity to start treatment sooner and helping improve outcomes. People being treated at Mayo Clinic also are among the first to benefit from new findings made at Mayo.
  • Care focused on you. Mayo Clinic doctors work with you to determine what strategies for prevention best meet your needs and preferences. If you need a liver transplant, a team of Mayo Clinic surgeons, doctors, transplant nurses, pharmacists, social workers and other health professionals take care of you before, during and after transplant. They provide quality care focused on the needs of you and your family.

Your doctor also may help determine whether you might be eligible for a clinical trial or study that's being conducted for people with end-stage liver disease.

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The liver transplant teams in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota are leaders and innovators in heart-liver transplants, transplants for people with liver cancer and use of antirejection medicines that help ensure positive outcomes. People with challenging health situations come to Mayo Clinic for help because Mayo doctors and surgeons are experts in specialized liver transplant options, including living-donor liver transplant.

Transplant expertise

The Mayo Clinic Transplant Center supports many studies for liver transplant research. For example, Mayo Clinic researchers are developing a bioartificial liver that could help patients cope as they await a donor liver. Liver transplant outcomes at Mayo Clinic compare favorably with the national average.

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By Mayo Clinic Staff
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Doctors & Departments
Oct. 28, 2025
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  1. Guo G, et al. The development and appraisal of MELD 3.0 in liver diseases: Good things never come easy. Journal of Clinical Translational Hepatology. 2024; doi:10.14218/JCTH.2020.00303.
  2. Kim WR, et al. MELD 3.0: The model for end-stage liver disease updated for the modern era. Gastroenterology. 2021; doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2021.08.050.
  3. A guide to taking warfarin. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/arrhythmia/prevention--treatment-of-arrhythmia/a-patients-guide-to-taking-warfarin. Accessed July 25, 2025.
  4. Wang Y, et al. Increased INR values predict accelerating deterioration and high short-term mortality among patients hospitalized with cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis. Frontiers. 2021; doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.762291.
  5. Creatinine. National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/kidney-topics/creatinine. Accessed July 28, 2025.
  6. Casciola R, et al. Creatine supplementation to improve sarcopenia in chronic liver disease: Facts and perspectives. Nutrients. 2023; doi:10.3390/nu15040863.
  7. Guerra Ruiz AR, et al. Measurement and clinical usefulness of bilirubin in liver disease. Advances in Laboratory Medicine. 2021; doi:10.1515/almed-2021-0047.
  8. Lenci I, et at. Natremia and liver transplantation: The right amount of salt for a good recipe. World Journal of Hepatology. 2020; doi:10.4254/wjh.v12.i11.919.
  9. Edema (swelling) and cancer treatment. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/edema. Accessed July 28, 2025.
  10. Nouraie M, et al. Serum albumin is independently associated with higher mortality in adult sickle cell patients: Results of three independent cohorts. PLOS One. 2020; doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237543.
  11. Dale E, et al. Inconsistent values and algorithmic fairness: a review of organ allocation priority systems in the United States. BMC Medical Ethics. 2024; doi:10.1186/s12910-024-011.
  12. Becchetti C, et al. Sex-based disparities in liver transplantation: Evidence from a nationwide Italian cohort. JHEP Reports. 2025; doi:10.1016/j.jhepr.2025.101387.
  13. Bambha K, et al. Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD). https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Aug. 7, 2025.
  14. Bednar R, et al. Low back pain in patients hospitalised with liver cirrhosis — A retrospective study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2023; doi:10.1186/s12891-023-06424-8.
  15. Forna L, et al. Pediatric perspectives on liver cirrhosis: Unravelling clinical patterns and therapeutic challenges. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2024; doi:10.3390/jcm13144275.
  16. Yun G, et al. Evaluation and management of hypernatremia in adults: clinical perspectives. Korean Journal of Internal Medicine. 2022; doi:10.3904/kjim.2022.346.
  17. Gines P, et al. Liver cirrhosis. The Lancet. 2021; doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01374-X.
  18. Alcohol-associated liver disease. American Liver Foundation. https://liverfoundation.org/liver-diseases/alcohol-associated-liver-disease/#1507302760988-870375fd-f7al. Accessed Aug. 7, 2025.
  19. Questions and answers about liver allocation. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/patients/by-organ/liver/questions-and-answers-about-liver-allocation. Accessed Aug. 7, 2025.
  20. Puri P, et al. Liver transplantation: Contraindication and ineligibility. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology. 2023; doi:10.1016/j.jceh.2023.04.005.
  21. Luo Z, et al. MELD as a metric for survival benefit of liver transplantation. American Journal of Transplantation. 2018; doi:10.1111/ajt.14660.
  22. Ge J, et al. "Beyond MELD" — Emerging strategies and technologies for improving mortality prediction, organ allocation and outcomes in liver transplantation. Journal of Hepatology. 2022; doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2022.03.003.
  23. Ni K, et al. MELD score reflects the mood, sleep, and daily living ability in liver transplantation candidates: A descriptive study. Annals of Transplantation. 2020; doi:10.12659/AOT.926857.
  24. Kiene SM, et al. Efficacy of an enhanced linkage to HIV care intervention at improving linkage to HIV care and achieving viral suppression following home-based HIV testing in rural Uganda: Study protocol for the Ekkubo/PATH cluster randomized controlled trial. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2017; doi:10.1186/s12879-017-2537-z.
  25. Bendersky VA, et al. The evolving role of liver transplantation for metastatic colorectal cancer: current perspectives and future directions. Frontiers in Surgery. 2025; doi:10.3389/fsurg.2025.1608467.
  26. Cameron JL, et al. Liver transplantation. In: Current Surgical Therapy. 14th ed. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 19, 2025.
  27. Goldstein NE, et al. What are the causes and complications of chronic liver disease and what is the evidence for palliative care delivery to those affected by it? In: Evidence-Based Practice of Palliative Medicine. 2nd ed. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Aug. 20, 2025.
  28. MELD calculator. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/transplant-medicine/calculators/meld-model/itt-20434705. Accessed Aug. 20, 2025.
  29. MELD score and 90-day mortality rate for alcoholic hepatitis. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/transplant-medicine/calculators/meld-score-and-90-day-mortality-rate-for-alcoholic-hepatitis/itt-20434719. Accessed Aug. 20, 2025.
  30. Learn about MELD. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/data/allocation-calculators/meld-calculator/learn-about-meld. Accessed Aug. 20, 2025.
  31. MELD scores and mortality. Merck Manual Professional Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/multimedia/table/meld-scores-and-mortality. Accessed Aug. 20, 2025.
  32. Liver transplant. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/liver-transplant/about/pac-20384842. Accessed Sept. 25, 2025.
  33. Cirrhosis. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cirrhosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351487. Accessed Sept. 25, 2025.

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MELD (model for end-stage liver disease) score