Ursharona's List: cardiologyFA

Arteriovenous fistulas are abnormal, typically small, direct connections between arteries and veins that bypass the intervening capillaries. They occur most commonly as developmental defects but can also result from rupture of an arterial aneurysm into an adjacent vein, from penetrating injuries that pierce arteries and veins, or from inflammatory necrosis of adjacent vessels; intentionally created arteriovenous fistulas are used to provide vascular access for chronic hemodialysis. Like berry aneurysms, ruptured arteriovenous fistulas can be an important cause of intracerebral hemorrhage.7 Large or extensive arteriovenous fistulas become clinically significant by shunting blood from the arterial to the venous circulations and forcing the heart to pump additional volume; high-output cardiac failure can ensue