diff --git a/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h b/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h
index f756262a..8f1c5e5c 100644
--- a/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h
+++ b/include/uv-private/uv-unix.h
@@ -151,7 +151,6 @@ typedef struct {
   ngx_queue_t async_handles;                                                  \
   uv__io_t async_watcher;                                                     \
   int async_pipefd[2];                                                        \
-  volatile sig_atomic_t async_sweep_needed;                                   \
   /* RB_HEAD(uv__timers, uv_timer_s) */                                       \
   struct uv__timers {                                                         \
     struct uv_timer_s* rbh_root;                                              \
diff --git a/src/unix/async.c b/src/unix/async.c
index 6abc8125..4d3cd94f 100644
--- a/src/unix/async.c
+++ b/src/unix/async.c
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 static int uv__async_init(uv_loop_t* loop);
@@ -82,25 +81,11 @@ int uv_async_send(uv_async_t* handle) {
     return 0; /* already pending */
 
   do
-    r = write(handle->loop->async_pipefd[1], &handle, sizeof(&handle));
+    r = write(handle->loop->async_pipefd[1], "x", 1);
   while (r == -1 && errno == EINTR);
 
-  if (r == -1) {
-    /* If pipe is full, event loop should sweep all handles */
-    if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EWOULDBLOCK) {
-      handle->loop->async_sweep_needed = 1;
-
-      /* Pipe might be drained at this stage, which means that
-       * async_sweep_needed flag wasn't seen yet. Try writing pointer
-       * once again to ensure that pipe isn't drained yet, or to invoke
-       * uv__async_io.
-       */
-      do
-        r = write(handle->loop->async_pipefd[1], &handle, sizeof(&handle));
-      while (r == -1 && errno == EINTR);
-    } else
-      return uv__set_sys_error(handle->loop, errno);
-  }
+  if (r == -1 && errno != EAGAIN && errno != EWOULDBLOCK)
+    return uv__set_sys_error(handle->loop, errno);
 
   return 0;
 }
@@ -129,75 +114,34 @@ static int uv__async_init(uv_loop_t* loop) {
 }
 
 
-#define ASYNC_CB(a) \
-    if (((a)->flags & (UV_CLOSING | UV_CLOSED)) == 0 && (a)->pending) { \
-      (a)->pending = 0; \
-      (a)->async_cb((a), 0); \
-    }
-
-
 static void uv__async_io(uv_loop_t* loop, uv__io_t* handle, int events) {
   char buf[1024];
   ngx_queue_t* q;
   uv_async_t* h;
   ssize_t r;
-  ssize_t i;
-  ssize_t bytes;
-  ssize_t end;
 
-  bytes = 0;
   while (1) {
-    r = read(loop->async_pipefd[0], buf + bytes, sizeof(buf) - bytes);
+    r = read(loop->async_pipefd[0], buf, sizeof(buf));
 
-    if (r == -1) {
-      if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EWOULDBLOCK) {
-        /* Spin if there're partial data in buffer already */
-        if (bytes)
-          continue;
-        break;
-      }
-
-      if (errno == EINTR)
-        continue;
-
-      abort();
-    }
-
-    bytes += r;
-
-    /* Round up end */
-    end = (bytes / sizeof(h)) * sizeof(h);
-
-    /* If we need to sweep all handles anyway - skip this loop */
-    if (!loop->async_sweep_needed) {
-      for (i = 0; i < end; i += sizeof(h)) {
-        h = *((uv_async_t**) (buf + i));
-        ASYNC_CB(h)
-      }
-    }
-
-    bytes -= end;
-
-    /* Partial read happened */
-    if (bytes) {
-      memmove(buf, buf + end, bytes);
-      /* Spin */
+    if (r == sizeof(buf))
       continue;
-    }
 
-    if (r != sizeof(buf))
+    if (r != -1)
       break;
+
+    if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EWOULDBLOCK)
+      break;
+
+    if (errno == EINTR)
+      continue;
+
+    abort();
   }
 
-  /* Fast path: no sweep is required */
-  if (!loop->async_sweep_needed)
-    return;
-
-  /* Slow path: sweep all handles */
-  loop->async_sweep_needed = 0;
-
   ngx_queue_foreach(q, &loop->async_handles) {
     h = ngx_queue_data(q, uv_async_t, queue);
-    ASYNC_CB(h)
+    if (!h->pending) continue;
+    h->pending = 0;
+    h->async_cb(h, 0);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/unix/loop.c b/src/unix/loop.c
index 7e90a0ab..c70513f3 100644
--- a/src/unix/loop.c
+++ b/src/unix/loop.c
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ int uv__loop_init(uv_loop_t* loop, int default_loop) {
   loop->time = uv_hrtime() / 1000000;
   loop->async_pipefd[0] = -1;
   loop->async_pipefd[1] = -1;
-  loop->async_sweep_needed = 0;
   loop->signal_pipefd[0] = -1;
   loop->signal_pipefd[1] = -1;
   loop->emfile_fd = -1;