diff --git a/src/hypervisor/virhostdev.c b/src/hypervisor/virhostdev.c
index aa3fc8738f..be32a26164 100644
--- a/src/hypervisor/virhostdev.c
+++ b/src/hypervisor/virhostdev.c
@@ -1975,7 +1975,7 @@ virHostdevReAttachMediatedDevices(virHostdevManagerPtr mgr,
 
     virObjectLock(mgr->activeMediatedHostdevs);
     for (i = 0; i < nhostdevs; i++) {
-        g_autoptr(virMediatedDevice) mdev = NULL;
+        g_autofree char *sysfspath = NULL;
         virMediatedDevicePtr tmp;
         virDomainHostdevSubsysMediatedDevPtr mdevsrc;
         virDomainHostdevDefPtr hostdev = hostdevs[i];
@@ -1984,14 +1984,12 @@ virHostdevReAttachMediatedDevices(virHostdevManagerPtr mgr,
             continue;
 
         mdevsrc = &hostdev->source.subsys.u.mdev;
-
-        if (!(mdev = virMediatedDeviceNew(mdevsrc->uuidstr,
-                                          mdevsrc->model)))
-            continue;
+        sysfspath = virMediatedDeviceGetSysfsPath(mdevsrc->uuidstr);
 
         /* Remove from the list only mdevs assigned to @drv_name/@dom_name */
 
-        tmp = virMediatedDeviceListFind(mgr->activeMediatedHostdevs, mdev);
+        tmp = virMediatedDeviceListFind(mgr->activeMediatedHostdevs,
+                                        sysfspath);
 
         /* skip inactive devices */
         if (!tmp)
diff --git a/src/util/virmdev.c b/src/util/virmdev.c
index b6df353d56..fc27e9e45d 100644
--- a/src/util/virmdev.c
+++ b/src/util/virmdev.c
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ int
 virMediatedDeviceListAdd(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
                          virMediatedDevicePtr *dev)
 {
-    if (virMediatedDeviceListFind(list, *dev)) {
+    if (virMediatedDeviceListFind(list, (*dev)->path)) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
                        _("device %s is already in use"), (*dev)->path);
         return -1;
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ virMediatedDevicePtr
 virMediatedDeviceListSteal(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
                            virMediatedDevicePtr dev)
 {
-    int idx = virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(list, dev);
+    int idx = virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(list, dev->path);
 
     return virMediatedDeviceListStealIndex(list, idx);
 }
@@ -370,13 +370,13 @@ virMediatedDeviceListDel(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
 
 int
 virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
-                               virMediatedDevicePtr dev)
+                               const char *sysfspath)
 {
     size_t i;
 
     for (i = 0; i < list->count; i++) {
-        virMediatedDevicePtr other = list->devs[i];
-        if (STREQ(other->path, dev->path))
+        virMediatedDevicePtr dev = list->devs[i];
+        if (STREQ(sysfspath, dev->path))
             return i;
     }
     return -1;
@@ -385,11 +385,11 @@ virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
 
 virMediatedDevicePtr
 virMediatedDeviceListFind(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
-                          virMediatedDevicePtr dev)
+                          const char *sysfspath)
 {
     int idx;
 
-    if ((idx = virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(list, dev)) >= 0)
+    if ((idx = virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(list, sysfspath)) >= 0)
         return list->devs[idx];
     else
         return NULL;
@@ -403,7 +403,7 @@ virMediatedDeviceIsUsed(virMediatedDevicePtr dev,
     const char *drvname, *domname;
     virMediatedDevicePtr tmp = NULL;
 
-    if ((tmp = virMediatedDeviceListFind(list, dev))) {
+    if ((tmp = virMediatedDeviceListFind(list, dev->path))) {
         virMediatedDeviceGetUsedBy(tmp, &drvname, &domname);
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_INVALID,
                        _("mediated device %s is in use by "
diff --git a/src/util/virmdev.h b/src/util/virmdev.h
index b6563a94fc..e96e5bb8c6 100644
--- a/src/util/virmdev.h
+++ b/src/util/virmdev.h
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@ virMediatedDeviceListDel(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
 
 virMediatedDevicePtr
 virMediatedDeviceListFind(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
-                          virMediatedDevicePtr dev);
+                          const char *sysfspath);
 
 int
 virMediatedDeviceListFindIndex(virMediatedDeviceListPtr list,
-                               virMediatedDevicePtr dev);
+                               const char *sysfspath);
 
 int
 virMediatedDeviceListMarkDevices(virMediatedDeviceListPtr dst,