MELD score as a predictor of mortality, length of hospital stay, and disease burden: A single-center retrospective study in 39,323 inpatients

The laboratory-based model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score reflects the function of the kidney, liver, and extrinsic coagulation pathway and might be used as a general prognostic tool for the assessment of patients. We therefore aimed to investigate a potential association of the MELD score with mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS), and disease burden in a general patient population.We performed a retrospective observational study at a tertiary referral center. From January 2012 through December 2013, all consecutive inpatients aged 18 years were eligible for the study; patients with missing MELD parameters on hospital admission and/or treatments influencing the international normalized ratio, that is, novel oral anticoagulants and vitamin K antagonists, were excluded. The MELD score on hospital admission was calculated retrospectively. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital all-cause mortality; secondary outcome measures were LOS and the number of comorbidities.A total of 39,323 inpatients were included in the final analysis. On admission, MELD scores of 15 to 19, 20 to 29, and ≥30 points (reference