infarction

noun

in·​farc·​tion in-ˈfärk-shən 

plural infarctions

: injury or death of tissue (as of the heart or lungs) resulting from inadequate blood supply especially as a result of obstruction of the local circulation by a thrombus or embolus : the process of forming an infarct

In myocardial infarction a coronary artery becomes obstructed and this leads to irreversible damage and necrosis of the heart tissue.

—Nicholas C. Price et al.

When dural sinuses are thrombosed, cortical and deep venous cerebral drainage is impaired, which can lead to infarction of the involved cerebral territories.

—Douglas J. Quint

Examples of infarction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He was later diagnosed with an extremely rare spinal cord infarction, or a stroke in his spine, which paralyzed him. —Doha Madani, NBC News, 15 June 2023

Just a few weeks after the triumphant Webster Hall gig, a 20th-anniversary celebration of his solo debut, The Fine Art of Self Destruction, Malin suffered an exceedingly rare spinal-cord infarction — a stroke in his back — while at dinner in the East Village. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2023

The best perspective of the night came from ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who was hospitalized for an extended period in 2007 with the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a splenic infarction. —Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2023

Ryan Clark, a former Steeler who was rushed from a 2007 game in Denver after suffering a splenic infarction, said on SportsCenter that in moments like this, the only thing that matters is Hamlin. —Peter Weber, The Week, 3 Jan. 2023

Health authorities in the Chinese capital on Sunday reported two deaths of people with Covid-19, a 91-year-old woman with cerebral infarction and an 88-year-old man with respiratory disease and hypertension. —Raffaele Huang, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2022

Simon Mitchell and colleagues report the case of a previously healthy 27-year-old man who inhaled helium and subsequently developed a stroke with transient blindness and radiographic evidence of cortical infarction. —Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing infarction

• myocardial infarction
• watershed infarction

Medical Definition

infarction

noun

in·​farc·​tion in-ˈfärk-shən 

1

: the process of forming an infarct

severe stress sometime between the 5th and 20th days after infarction

—Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: infarct

developed a full-blown infarction

—W. A. Nolen