The Buselmeier shunt, which is compact and mainly subcutaneously implantable, is a convenient method of vascular access. It is advantageous over the standard Quinton-Dillard-Scribner shunt because it remains patent with fewer episodes of clotting and infection in uremics and because it functions in non-uremics where no other prosthetic shunt has succeeded. The new shunt allows passive flow dialysis where the A-V fistula does not.It is of further advantage over the A-V fistula in those cases where immediate access is necessary and where there are difficulties with needle cannulation or an inability to construct a proper fistula.