MELD Score Calculator – MELD 3.0, MELD-Na & Classic MELD

It reproduces current U.S. OPTN MELD arithmetic (MELD 3.0) for candidates age 12 and older, or separately calculates historical U.S. MELD-Na and classic MELD. It is not an official candidate record and does not submit data, assign exception points, or determine allocation.

Sources: [4, 5, 6]

The current U.S. OPTN MELD formula took effect July 13, 2023. It is commonly called MELD 3.0 and adds albumin, updated coefficients and interactions, and an adult female term. Historical MELD-Na and classic MELD remain on this page only as clearly labelled historical models.

Sources: [3, 5, 7]

Current OPTN MELD uses bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium, albumin, registration age, and—only for candidates registered at age 18 or older—sex for the adult-formula branch. Candidates registered before 18 who are now at least 12 use a distinct equation without the female term.

Sources: [4, 5, 6]

Current OPTN MELD uses bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium and albumin plus registration-age and adult-formula sex rules. Historical MELD-Na adds sodium to a rounded classic MELD when that initial score is greater than 11. Classic MELD uses bilirubin, INR and creatinine only. Different versions should not be treated as one directly comparable trend.

Sources: [1, 2, 3, 4]

Classic MELD is 10 × [0.957 × ln(creatinine in mg/dL) + 0.378 × ln(total bilirubin in mg/dL) + 1.120 × ln(INR) + 0.643]. The historical implementation applies its own formula floors, creatinine rule, whole-score rounding and 6–40 bound.

Sources: [1, 3]

Within the current U.S. allocation model, a higher calculated MELD score represents greater medical urgency and higher modeled wait-list mortality risk. The score is bounded to 6–40, but this calculator does not convert it into an individual mortality percentage, life expectancy, diagnosis or treatment recommendation.

Sources: [4, 5, 6]

No. A calculated score does not by itself establish referral, eligibility, listing, Status 1A/1B, an exception score or an organ offer. Formal allocation uses the official OPTN record and additional policy, exception, donor, compatibility and geographic rules that this page does not calculate.

Sources: [5, 6]

For current OPTN MELD, bilirubin, INR and creatinine are floored at 1.0; creatinine is capped or set by qualifying renal support at 3.0 mg/dL; sodium is bounded to 125–137; and albumin to 1.5–3.5. Qualifying renal support means at least two dialysis treatments or at least 24 hours of CVVHD within seven days before the creatinine test. Historical models use their separate 4.0 mg/dL creatinine rule. These transformations are not healthy ranges or treatment targets.

Sources: [3, 5, 6]

No. Current U.S. policy uses PELD for candidates younger than 12. This page requires the age-12-or-older population and withholds a MELD result for the under-12 option; it does not implement PELD.

Sources: [5, 6]

No. MELD was developed for risk ranking in defined populations, but one calculated result is not a universal personal mortality percentage or life-expectancy forecast. It also cannot account for every complication, exception, treatment, trend, model era or transplant benefit.

Sources: [1, 4, 5]