Scores can range anywhere from 6-40, and are based on results of several lab tests.
3 The MELD score, as previously mentioned, helps clinicians determine how urgently a patient needs a liver transplant. This is a prognostic scoring system based on specific laboratory measurements, used to predict 3-month mortality due to liver disease in patients 12 years of age and older. The MELD score stands for “Model for End-Stage Liver Disease”. One of the many factors that gets taken into consideration when determining which patients are in more urgent need of a liver transplant is the MELD score. 2 Despite these impressive numbers, there are a significantly larger number of patients still in need of a liver transplant who are currently on a waiting list. These numbers are similar to data provided from 2020 which showed that a total of 8,906 liver transplants occurred. 1 According to UNOS, 8,494 livers were transplanted in 2021. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a mission-driven non-profit that leads the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to saving lives through organ transplants.
The liver is one of the most commonly transplanted solid organs in the United States (US) today. By: Jason Ifeanyi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022
