Infarction

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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)

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