What medical term is used for the death of myocardial tissue?

The term used for the death of myocardial tissue is infarction. This specifically refers to the process where blood flow to a particular area of the heart muscle is obstructed, often due to a blockage in the coronary arteries. When the supply of oxygen-rich blood is cut off, the affected heart tissue begins to die, resulting in what is clinically known as a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack.

Other terms do not accurately describe this specific process. Morbidity refers generally to the presence of disease or illness in a population or individual, which doesn't specifically relate to tissue death. Necrosis is a broader term for the death of cells or tissues in a living organism and can occur due to various causes, including lack of blood flow, but it is not specific to the heart; it can happen in any tissue in the body. Atrophy refers to the reduction in size or wasting away of an organ or tissue, often due to disuse, lack of nourishment, or a decrease in stimulation, rather than direct cell or tissue death from a lack of blood supply. Thus, infarction is the most accurate term to describe the process involved in the death of myocardial tissue.