The Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score used to prioritise patients on the liver transplant waiting list is calculated from which set of laboratory parameters?

• A Serum creatinine, Child-Pugh class, encephalopathy grade
• B Serum bilirubin, serum albumin, ascites grade
• C INR, platelet count, serum sodium
• D Serum bilirubin, INR, serum creatinine ✓

Explanation

MELD is an objective laboratory-based score using serum bilirubin, international normalised ratio and serum creatinine, giving a value predicting three-month mortality on the waiting list. Albumin, ascites and encephalopathy belong to the Child-Pugh score, which is subjective and used to grade cirrhosis severity rather than allocate organs. Serum sodium was incorporated only as a later modification (MELD-Na) and is not part of the original formula.

Reference: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 21st ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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