infarction definition of infarction in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

infarction, blockage of blood circulation to a localized area or organ of the body resulting in tissue death. Infarctions commonly occur in the spleen spleen, soft, purplish-red organ that lies under the diaphragm on the left side of the abdominal cavity. The spleen acts as a filter against foreign organisms that infect the bloodstream, and also filters out old red blood cells from the bloodstream and decomposes
..... Click the link for more information. , kidney, lungs lungs, elastic organs used for breathing in vertebrate animals, excluding most fish, which use gills , and a few amphibian species that respire through the skin. The word is sometimes applied to the respiratory apparatus of lower animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , brain brain, the supervisory center of the nervous system in all vertebrates. It also serves as the site of emotions, memory, self-awareness, and thought.

Anatomy and Function

..... Click the link for more information. , and heart heart, muscular organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The rhythmic beating of the heart is a ceaseless activity, lasting from before birth to the end of life.
..... Click the link for more information. . The acute emergency known as

myocardial infarction or heart attack is usually caused by a blockage in one of the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. The blockage typically occurs when a blood clot (see thrombosis thrombosis (thrŏmbō`sĭs), obstruction of an artery or vein by a blood clot (thrombus).
..... Click the link for more information. ) lodges in an area already narrowed by arteriosclerosis arteriosclerosis (ärtĭr'ēōsklərō`sis)
..... Click the link for more information. ; other causes are vasospasms in the arterial walls or viral infection of the heart. Symptoms include a crushing pain in the chest radiated to either arm (more commonly the left arm), the jaw, and the neck. The pain may be experienced, particularly in women, as pain in the shoulder or stomach, instead of the chest, and in some cases there are no symptoms at all. The seriousness of the infarction is dependent upon the amount of heart muscle affected, how long the area is deprived of blood, and whether it affects the natural pacemaker of the heart, setting off arrhythmias arrhythmia (ārĭth`mēə), disturbance in the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.
..... Click the link for more information. such as ventricular fibrillation. Death of heart muscle tissue and heart failure may result (see congestive heart failure congestive heart failure, inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual the heart can tolerate large increases of workload for a considerable length of time.
..... Click the link for more information. ); damage to other vital organs, including the brain, may occur if the heart is unable to pump necessary oxygen and blood to them. Confirmation of myocardial infarction is made by electrocardiography electrocardiography (ĭlĕk'trōkärdēŏg`rəfē)
..... Click the link for more information. and measurement of elevations of white blood cells and certain enzymes. Treatment of acute myocardial infarction may include first aid in the form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), emergency procedure used to treat victims of cardiac and respiratory arrest. CPR can be done in a hospital with drugs and special equipment or as a first-aid technique.
..... Click the link for more information. (CPR), an emergency balloon angioplasty balloon angioplasty or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, a treatment of coronary artery disease . In balloon angioplasty a balloon-tipped catheter is inserted through the skin into a blood vessel and maneuvered to the clogged portion of the artery.
..... Click the link for more information. , or the administration of beta-blockers beta-blocker or beta-adrenergic blocking agent (bā`tə ăd'rənûr`jĭk)
..... Click the link for more information. and thrombolytic drugs thrombolytic drug (thrŏm'bəlĭt`ĭk) or clot-dissolving drug,
..... Click the link for more information. (clot-dissolving drugs), such as tissue plasminogen activator. The healing of an infarction occurs through replacement of the dead tissue by scar tissue.

See also coronary artery disease coronary artery disease, condition that results when the coronary arteries are narrowed or occluded, most commonly by atherosclerotic deposits of fibrous and fatty tissue.
..... Click the link for more information. .

infarction [in′färk·shən]

(medicine)

Condition or process leading to the development of an infarct.

infarct

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Anatomy and Function

infarction