Dialysis-associated steal syndrome is a clinically significant complication associated with the creation of dialysis grafts or fistulae. The distal revascularization and interval ligation (DRIL) procedure is a surgical procedure, which has been used to treat patients with hand ischemia secondary to arterial ''steal'' from dialysis accesses. This article will review the dialysis-associated steal syndrome and the history, anatomy, and clinical results of the DRIL procedure.