The optimum level of MELD to minimize the mortality on liver transplantation waiting list and liver transplanted patient in Sao Paulo state Brazil
Eleazar Chaib1, Joao LE Pessoa1, Claudio J Struchiner1, Luiz AC D'Albuquerque1, Eduardo Massad1.
1Gastroenterology, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicne, São Paulo, Brazil
Introduction: After validation in multiples types of liver disease patients, the MELD score was adopted as a standard by which liver transplant candidadtes with end stage liver disease were prioritize for organ allocation in the United States since 2002 and in Brazil since 2006. Our aim is to analyze the mortality profile of patients on liver transplant waiting list correlated to MELD score at the moment of transplantation.
Methods: We used data from Secretary of Health of the state of Sao Paulo Brazil which listed 22,522 patients from 2006 until 2009. Patients with acute hepatic failure and tumors were included as well. We also considered the mortality of both non transplanted and transplanted patients as a function of the MELD score at presentation.
Results: Our model showed that the best MELD score for patients on liver transplantation waiting list associated to better results after liver transplantation was 26.
Conclusion: We found that the best score for applying to liver transplant waiting list in state of Sao Paulo was 26. This is the score to minimizes the mortality in both non transplanted and liver transplanted patients.
[1] Liver Transplantation MELD Waiting List
