infarct /infärkt″/ [L, infarcire, to stuff] , a localized area of necrosis in a tissue resulting from anoxia. It is caused by an interruption in the blood supply to the area or, less frequently, by circulatory stasis produced by the occlusion of a vein that ordinarily carries blood away from the area. Some infarcts are pale and white because of the lack of circulation. Others may resemble a red, swollen bruise because of hemorrhage and an accumulation of blood in the area. Also called infarction.
