diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h b/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
index fbf9b8614..9da6bde37 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ struct spdk_nvme_qpair {
 	 */
 	uint8_t					no_deletion_notification_needed: 1;
 
-	uint8_t					first_fused_submitted: 1;
+	uint8_t					last_fuse: 2;
 
 	uint8_t					transport_failure_reason: 2;
 	uint8_t					last_transport_failure_reason: 2;
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_common.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_common.c
index a74388afd..8009e6e12 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_common.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_common.c
@@ -651,9 +651,12 @@ nvme_pcie_qpair_submit_tracker(struct spdk_nvme_qpair *qpair, struct nvme_tracke
 	spdk_trace_record(TRACE_NVME_PCIE_SUBMIT, qpair->id, 0, (uintptr_t)req,
 			  req->cmd.cid, req->cmd.opc, req->cmd.cdw10, req->cmd.cdw11, req->cmd.cdw12);
 
-	if (req->cmd.fuse == SPDK_NVME_IO_FLAGS_FUSE_FIRST) {
-		/* This is first cmd of two fused commands - don't ring doorbell */
-		qpair->first_fused_submitted = 1;
+	if (req->cmd.fuse) {
+		/*
+		 * Keep track of the fuse operation sequence so that we ring the doorbell only
+		 * after the second fuse is submitted.
+		 */
+		qpair->last_fuse = req->cmd.fuse;
 	}
 
 	/* Don't use wide instructions to copy NVMe command, this is limited by QEMU
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_internal.h b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_internal.h
index c7aaeaf67..0849aaae9 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_internal.h
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie_internal.h
@@ -277,9 +277,8 @@ nvme_pcie_qpair_ring_sq_doorbell(struct spdk_nvme_qpair *qpair)
 	struct nvme_pcie_ctrlr	*pctrlr = nvme_pcie_ctrlr(qpair->ctrlr);
 	bool need_mmio = true;
 
-	if (qpair->first_fused_submitted) {
+	if (qpair->last_fuse == SPDK_NVME_IO_FLAGS_FUSE_FIRST) {
 		/* This is first cmd of two fused commands - don't ring doorbell */
-		qpair->first_fused_submitted = 0;
 		return;
 	}