Abstract OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of a severity indicator for end-stage liver disease as a predictor of resource use in a teaching hospital in São Paulo. METHOD Descriptive, retrospective study, classifying independent variables in seven key dimensions: identification/risk rating; length of stay/use of advanced life support; imaging; clinical analysis; special procedures; blood products in the intensive care unit; and in the operating room. The frequencies were analyzed by linear regression analysis of variance to detect relevance due to the dependent variable (severity indicator) in 76 cases seen in 2013. RESULTS Among the variables studied, those that presented relevance due to the functional risk score were laboratory measurements of bilirubin, amylase, transaminase, blood count, creatine phosphokinase (p<0.05), hemotherapy procedures fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and platelet concentrate (p<0.05), and Doppler echocardiography image (p<0.07). CONCLUSION Given the results/objective of this study, it is concluded that the indicator presents a potential predictive capability in the use of postoperative resources of liver receptors in the size, clinical analysis, images and hemotherapy dimensions.