A stroke is defined as brain cells dying due to inadequate blood flow. What is the medical term for this event?

A stroke is defined as brain cells dying due to inadequate blood flow. What is the medical term for this event?

• A. Myocardial infarction
• B. Cerebrovascular accident
• C. Pulmonary embolism
• D. Transient ischemic attack

Answer: (B)

Brain tissue dying because blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked is called a cerebrovascular accident. This term fits the scenario where brain cells die due to ischemia, which is the interruption of blood supply, leading to a stroke. The other terms refer to different problems: a heart attack is death of heart muscle from blocked coronary blood flow, a pulmonary embolism is a blockage in the lungs’ blood vessels, and a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood flow that does not cause lasting brain damage.

Brain tissue dying because blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked is called a cerebrovascular accident. This term fits the scenario where brain cells die due to ischemia, which is the interruption of blood supply, leading to a stroke. The other terms refer to different problems: a heart attack is death of heart muscle from blocked coronary blood flow, a pulmonary embolism is a blockage in the lungs’ blood vessels, and a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood flow that does not cause lasting brain damage.