Plain English Meaning
A heart attack. Part of the heart muscle is starved of blood and dies because the artery feeding it is blocked.
Full Definition
Death of a portion of the heart muscle caused by a sudden loss of blood supply, usually due to a blocked coronary artery. Commonly known as a heart attack, it is a disqualifying medical event that affects FAA medical certification and requires special issuance review before a pilot can return to flying.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation medical certification discussions, especially when reporting heart conditions or reviewing conditions that may affect whether a pilot can safely hold a medical certificate.
Derivation
From Greek 'myo' (muscle) and 'cardia' (heart), plus Latin 'infarctus' meaning 'stuffed in' or 'plugged.' Literally: a plug or blockage in the heart muscle. The derivation matches what physically happens — something blocks blood flow, and the muscle downstream dies.
Why Pilots Care
A history of myocardial infarction generally requires special issuance review and can delay or prevent medical certification until cardiovascular is demonstrated.