Infarction - Definition and Overview

In medicine, infarction is necrosis of tissue due to upstream obstruction of its arterial blood supply. It is the culmination of ischemia.

Although infarction can affect any organ in the context of a number of disease states, it is most closely associated with atherosclerosis. When an atherosclerotic plaque ruptures, a thrombus forms on the surface, occluding the blood flow and occasionally forming an embolus that occludes other blood vessels downstream.

Diseases commonly associated with infarction are:

• Myocardial infarction or heart attack;
• Cerebrovascular accident (80% are due to infarction);
• Peripheral arterial occlusive disease leading to gangrene and prompting amputation.

Some other vascular disorders leading to forms of infarction:

• Antiphospholipid syndrome
• Sepsis
• Giant-cell arteritis (GCA)