Posted 2/20/2012 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
MELD is Model for Endstage Liver Disease. It is used by UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) as a measure to determine which patient is in most need of a liver on the waiting list. There are certain things that will raise the score automatically. For instance, my MELD was only 7, despite hep C and cirrhosis. However, when liver cancer was seen on the MRI, it shot my MELD up to 22 and that's when I was told I would need a transplant and began the evaluation for liver transplant.
If your mom is not a candidate for transplant, the only point to the MELD score is to determine how deteriorated her liver disease is. Yes, it's possible to be really sick and have a MELD in the teens. The MELD is calculated by BUN, creatinine, and INR numbers. None of my doctors ever mentioned MELD until I needed a transplant. I had calculated it myself here:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/meld/mayomodel6.html
BUN = Blood urea nitrogen. That and creatinine are measures of renal function.
Child-Pugh adds an additional measure to the calculation...forget just which. But MELD is usually what is used.
Hope this helps.
Hugs,
Connie