The effect of Meld on the post liver transplantation mortality rate

Abstract

The high mortality rate on the waiting list for liver transplantation (Tx) has stimulated the use of criteria of
disease severity for graft allocation. The aim of this study is to asses the effect of MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver
Disease) on the post Tx mortality rate. We have reviewed 237 cases of cadaveric donor elective Tx performed between
1st/Nov/95 and 30th/Jul/01. In logistic regression it was found a significant interaction between MELD score and 6-month
mortality after Tx (odds ratio = 1.052; 95%CI = 1.015 a 1.090; p = 0.02). In order to study the effect of the MELD score on the actuarial survival, the patients have been divided into two groups: Group A (n = 126), constituted by patients with MELD below the global mean score (14.4); and Group B (n = 111), constituted by patients with MELD score above this
value. There is a statistically significant difference between the survival rate in the two groups (p = 0.0374). Cox proportional
regression analysis indicated that group B patients are 1.65 times more likely to die (risk ratio = 1.6523; 95% CI = 1.0240 a 2.6662).