Closed loop dialysis: a complication of the Buselmeier shunt

This report describes the development of a coil-fistula closed loop dialysis circuit, excluding the systemic circulation, as a complication of dialysis utilizing a variant of the Buselmeier shunt. This complication might theoretically occur with other types of dialysis circulation access systems. The presence of a closed loop system may be recognized by a rising hematocrit, rising viscosity, and progressive darkening of the blood in the dialysis circuit.