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MELD Score Calculator

Calculate the MELD 3.0 score for liver disease, plus MELD-Na and the original MELD, from bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium, albumin, sex and dialysis status.

Results

ItemValue
For information only, not medical advice. Transplant centers calculate MELD from official lab results using OPTN rules. Units: bilirubin µmol/L ÷ 17.1 = mg/dL, creatinine µmol/L ÷ 88.4 = mg/dL, albumin g/L ÷ 10 = g/dL.

Quick Answer

MELD 3.0 combines bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium, albumin and sex into one score that predicts the risk of dying within 90 days without a liver transplant. A man with bilirubin 2.0, INR 1.5, creatinine 1.2, sodium 132 and albumin 3.0 scores 19 on MELD 3.0 and 19 on MELD-Na. Higher scores mean higher risk and higher transplant priority.

Last updated: 10 November 2026 ·How we calculate this: the MELD 3.0 equation (Kim 2021) and the standard MELD and MELD-Na formulas

How This MELD Score Calculator Works

The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score estimates how sick a person with advanced liver disease is, using common blood tests. In the United States it sets the order of patients on the liver transplant waiting list. MELD 3.0, introduced for allocation in 2023, adds sex and albumin to the earlier MELD-Na score. Enter the lab values and dialysis status, and the calculator gives MELD 3.0, MELD-Na and the original MELD.

Quick explanation: higher MELD means a higher short-term risk of death.

  • Range: scores start at 6 and rise to the 40s in the sickest patients.
  • A MELD 3.0 of 20 matched about a 5.4% risk of death within 90 days in the 2021 study.
  • Sodium and albumin add risk when they are low.

How to Use the MELD Score Calculator

  1. Choose the sex.
  2. Enter total bilirubin, INR and creatinine.
  3. Enter sodium and albumin.
  4. Choose whether the patient had dialysis twice or more in the past week.
  5. Press Calculate and read MELD 3.0, MELD-Na and MELD.

MELD 3.0 Formula

  • MELD 3.0 = 1.33 (if female) + 4.56 × ln(bilirubin) + 0.82 × (137 − Na) − 0.24 × (137 − Na) × ln(bilirubin) + 9.09 × ln(INR) + 11.14 × ln(creatinine) + 1.85 × (3.5 − albumin) − 1.83 × (3.5 − albumin) × ln(creatinine) + 6, rounded
  • Limits: bilirubin, INR and creatinine below 1.0 count as 1.0; creatinine above 3.0, or any dialysis twice in the past week, counts as 3.0; sodium is kept between 125 and 137; albumin between 1.5 and 3.5
  • Original MELD = 9.57 × ln(creatinine) + 3.78 × ln(bilirubin) + 11.20 × ln(INR) + 6.43, with creatinine capped at 4.0
  • MELD-Na = MELD + 1.32 × (137 − Na) − 0.033 × MELD × (137 − Na), used when MELD is above 11

Key Terms

  • MELD: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, a score of liver disease severity.
  • INR: international normalized ratio, a measure of how long blood takes to clot.
  • Bilirubin: a yellow breakdown product of red blood cells cleared by the liver.
  • Albumin: a protein made by the liver; low levels suggest poor liver function.
  • OPTN: the US Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which runs organ allocation.

Worked Example

A woman has bilirubin 6.0 mg/dL, INR 2.2, creatinine 2.4 mg/dL, sodium 128 mEq/L and albumin 2.4 g/dL, with no dialysis.

  • ln(6.0) = 1.792, ln(2.2) = 0.788, ln(2.4) = 0.875; 137 − 128 = 9; 3.5 − 2.4 = 1.1
  • MELD 3.0 = 1.33 + 4.56 × 1.792 + 0.82 × 9 − 0.24 × 9 × 1.792 + 9.09 × 0.788 + 11.14 × 0.875 + 1.85 × 1.1 − 1.83 × 1.1 × 0.875 + 6 = 36.20
  • Rounded MELD 3.0 = 36; MELD-Na = 33; original MELD = 30

Real-Life Examples

  • Moderate disease: bilirubin 2.0, INR 1.5, creatinine 1.2, sodium 132 and albumin 3.0 give MELD 3.0 = 19 for a man.
  • Severe disease: the worked example gives MELD 3.0 = 36.
  • Normal labs: all values in the normal range give the minimum score of 6.
  • Study: see how each lab value changes the score.

MELD 3.0 vs MELD-Na vs MELD

  • MELD (2001): bilirubin, INR and creatinine.
  • MELD-Na (2016): adds sodium; used for US allocation until 2023.
  • MELD 3.0 (2023): adds sex and albumin, with interactions and a creatinine cap of 3.0.

How Each Value Is Limited

Values outside the range are set to the nearest limit before the formula is applied.

Lab valueLowest value usedHighest value used
Bilirubin (mg/dL)1.0No limit
INR1.0No limit
Creatinine (mg/dL)1.03.0 (3.0 with dialysis)
Sodium (mEq/L)125137
Albumin (g/dL)1.53.5

Why MELD 3.0 Replaced MELD-Na

The original MELD (2001) used bilirubin, INR and creatinine. MELD-Na (2016) added sodium because low sodium predicts death in cirrhosis. Researchers then found that women were disadvantaged: at the same kidney function, women have lower creatinine because of lower muscle mass, so MELD-Na underestimated their risk. MELD 3.0 adds 1.33 points for women, adds albumin, models how bilirubin and sodium and how creatinine and albumin interact, and lowers the creatinine cap from 4.0 to 3.0.

In the 2021 study of US waitlist patients, MELD 3.0 predicted 90-day mortality slightly better than MELD-Na and moved about 8.8% of patients who died into higher risk groups. MELD is not the only factor in transplant decisions: some conditions, such as liver cancer, receive exception points, and children under 12 use the PELD score.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using µmol/L. Convert bilirubin and creatinine to mg/dL first.
  • Forgetting dialysis. Dialysis sets creatinine to the cap.
  • Entering albumin in g/L. Divide by 10 to get g/dL.
  • Comparing different versions. MELD 3.0 and MELD-Na give different numbers.
  • Using it for children. Children under 12 use PELD.

Frequently Asked Questions

A score from blood tests that estimates the short-term risk of death in advanced liver disease and sets US transplant priority.

Scores above about 20 to 25 indicate severe disease; scores over 30 are very high.

The 2021 update that adds sex and albumin to MELD-Na and caps creatinine at 3.0 mg/dL.

From bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium, albumin and sex using the Kim 2021 equation shown above.

6, when all lab values are in the normal range.

Women have lower creatinine for the same kidney function, so earlier scores underestimated their risk.

The OPTN began using MELD 3.0 for liver allocation in July 2023.

Yes. Two or more dialysis sessions in the past week set creatinine to the maximum value.

It varies by region and blood type; transplant centers track the median MELD at transplant.

References & Sources

SourceUsed ForLink
Kim WR et al. (2021), MELD 3.0: The Model for End-stage Liver Disease Updated for the Modern Era Gastroenterology 161(6):1887-95. MELD 3.0, MELD and MELD-Na formulas. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8608337/
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) US liver allocation policy and calculators. https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/