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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffAn arteriovenous (AV) fistula is an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein. Normally, your blood flows from your arteries to your capillaries to your veins. Nutrients and oxygen in your blood travel from your capillaries to tissues in your body.
When you have an arteriovenous fistula, blood flows directly from an artery into a vein, bypassing the capillaries. When this happens, tissues downstream from the bypassed capillaries receive less blood supply.
Arteriovenous fistulas usually occur in the legs, but can also develop in the brain, lungs or arms.
You can be born with an arteriovenous fistula (congenital), or you can develop an arteriovenous fistula after some medical procedures. You can also develop an arteriovenous fistula from an injury that pierces the skin, such as a gunshot or stab wound. Leaving an arteriovenous fistula untreated can eventually lead to serious complications.
For people who have severe kidney disease, arteriovenous fistulas are sometimes surgically created in their forearms to make dialysis easier. If you have an arteriovenous fistula created, your doctors will closely monitor your condition to make sure you don't develop complications.
- Mohler ER. Arteriovenous fistulas of the lower extremity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010.
- Arteriovenous fistula. The Merck Manuals: Home Edition for Patients and Caregivers. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec03/ch036/ch036e.html. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010.
- Lee BB, et al. Arterio-venous malformation: How much do we know? Phlebology. 2009;24:193.
- Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. University of Maryland Medical Center. http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/001090.htm. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010.
- Cura M, et al. Vascular malformations and arteriovenous fistulas of the kidney. Acta Radiologica. In press. Accessed Jan. 12, 2010.
- Gonzalez SB, et al. Imaging arteriovenous fistulas. AJR: American Journal of Roentgenology. 2009;193:1425.
- Catheter embolization. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=cathembol. Accessed Jan. 29, 2010.
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