Death of tissue (necrosis) caused by inadequate blood supply, typically following ischemia. The dead tissue area is called an infarct and cannot be revived once it occurs.
From Latin 'infarcire' meaning 'to stuff into' or 'to cram,' referring to how blood vessels become stuffed with clots or debris. The medical usage evolved in the 19th century to describe the resulting tissue death.
Infarction is like the point of no return - while ischemia is tissue crying for help, infarction means the tissue has given up and died! Time is literally tissue when it comes to heart attacks and strokes, because once infarction occurs, that damage is permanent.
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