Word parts
What it means
An arteriovenous fistulaar-teer-ee-oh-VEE-nus FIS-chuh-luhA connection made by surgery between an artery and a vein, usually in the arm, to give access for hemodialysis.arteri/o arteryven/o vein-ous relating tofistula an abnormal passage between two body partsFull entry and an arteriovenous graft are connections made by surgery between an artery and a vein for hemodialysis. An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels, present from birth, in which arteries connect straight to veins without the usual capillaries between them; in the brain it can bleed.
Related terms
vein
A blood vessel that carries blood back toward the heart.
artery
A blood vessel that takes blood from the heart out to the body.
arteriovenous fistula
A connection made by surgery between an artery and a vein, usually in the arm, to give access for hemodialysis.