Liver Transplant Houston: Understanding What My MELD Score Means

Dr. Joe Galati, a Liver Specialist in Houston, discusses how the MELD score is calculated, and how MELD exception points are calculated. Dr. Galati is affiliated with Liver Specialists of Texas and the Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, a leading liver transplant center in the United States. The Methodist Hospital is the largest transplant center in Texas, and one of the largest in the United States.
The MELD score is calculated by determining the patients bilirubin, creatinine, and INR. The MELD score ranges from 5-40. The higher the MELD score, the more advanced the liver disease is, and the sooner the patient will be allocated a liver for transplant. Associated with a higher MELD score, is an associated increase in mortality (death). The current MELD scoring system will benefit those patients with the highest MELD scores. For more information, go to www.texasliver.com and the Methodist J.C. Walter Transplant Center at www.methodisthealth.com.