diff --git a/fs/btrfs/ctree.c b/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
index 64b87894460bef..22629809c9c466 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
@@ -2461,32 +2461,32 @@ static int key_search(struct extent_buffer *b, struct btrfs_key *key,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/* Proposed generic search function, meant to take the place of the
-* various small search helper functions throughout the code and standardize
-* the search interface. Right now, it only replaces the former __inode_info
-* in backref.c, and the former btrfs_find_root_ref in root-tree.c.
-*
-* If a null key is passed, it returns immediately after running
-* btrfs_search_slot, leaving the path filled as it is and passing its
-* return value upward. If a real key is passed, it will set the caller's
-* path to point to the first item in the tree after its specified
-* objectid, type, and offset for which objectid and type match the input.
-*/
-int btrfs_find_item(struct btrfs_root *fs_root, struct btrfs_path *path,
+int btrfs_find_item(struct btrfs_root *fs_root, struct btrfs_path *found_path,
 		u64 iobjectid, u64 ioff, u8 key_type,
 		struct btrfs_key *found_key)
 {
 	int ret;
 	struct btrfs_key key;
 	struct extent_buffer *eb;
+	struct btrfs_path *path;
 
 	key.type = key_type;
 	key.objectid = iobjectid;
 	key.offset = ioff;
 
+	if (found_path == NULL) {
+		path = btrfs_alloc_path();
+		if (!path)
+			return -ENOMEM;
+	} else
+		path = found_path;
+
 	ret = btrfs_search_slot(NULL, fs_root, &key, path, 0, 0);
-	if ((ret < 0) || (found_key == NULL))
+	if ((ret < 0) || (found_key == NULL)) {
+		if (path != found_path)
+			btrfs_free_path(path);
 		return ret;
+	}
 
 	eb = path->nodes[0];
 	if (ret && path->slots[0] >= btrfs_header_nritems(eb)) {
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/disk-io.c b/fs/btrfs/disk-io.c
index d84667379f01a8..4ecee0a009cb41 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/disk-io.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/disk-io.c
@@ -1608,7 +1608,8 @@ struct btrfs_root *btrfs_get_fs_root(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info,
 	if (ret)
 		goto fail;
 
-	ret = btrfs_find_orphan_item(fs_info->tree_root, location->objectid);
+	ret = btrfs_find_item(fs_info->tree_root, NULL, BTRFS_ORPHAN_OBJECTID,
+			location->objectid, BTRFS_ORPHAN_ITEM_KEY, NULL);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto fail;
 	if (ret == 0)
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/orphan.c b/fs/btrfs/orphan.c
index 24cad1695af747..65793edb38ca88 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/orphan.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/orphan.c
@@ -69,23 +69,3 @@ int btrfs_del_orphan_item(struct btrfs_trans_handle *trans,
 	btrfs_free_path(path);
 	return ret;
 }
-
-int btrfs_find_orphan_item(struct btrfs_root *root, u64 offset)
-{
-	struct btrfs_path *path;
-	struct btrfs_key key;
-	int ret;
-
-	key.objectid = BTRFS_ORPHAN_OBJECTID;
-	key.type = BTRFS_ORPHAN_ITEM_KEY;
-	key.offset = offset;
-
-	path = btrfs_alloc_path();
-	if (!path)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-
-	ret = btrfs_search_slot(NULL, root, &key, path, 0, 0);
-
-	btrfs_free_path(path);
-	return ret;
-}
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c b/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c
index e7d7a837512a0b..ba2f15109dac1b 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c
@@ -1238,7 +1238,8 @@ static int insert_orphan_item(struct btrfs_trans_handle *trans,
 			      struct btrfs_root *root, u64 offset)
 {
 	int ret;
-	ret = btrfs_find_orphan_item(root, offset);
+	ret = btrfs_find_item(root, NULL, BTRFS_ORPHAN_OBJECTID,
+			offset, BTRFS_ORPHAN_ITEM_KEY, NULL);
 	if (ret > 0)
 		ret = btrfs_insert_orphan_item(trans, root, offset);
 	return ret;