A foreign older diabetic woman with an acute myocardial infarction: when cognitive biases in clinical decision-making become especially important.

We present a case of an 80-year-old Turkish female patient with diabetes who suffered an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and underwent percutaneous coronary balloon angioplasty (PTCA)/stenting. Due to new ischaemic episodes, a second PTCA/stenting had to be preformed 6 days later, which revealed a partial restent thrombosis. This case report raises several important issues. First, language problems are an important barrier for safety and quality in healthcare. Second, gender, ethnicity and age differences in patients with AMI need to be considered in order to eliminate inequities in clinical practice. Third, strategies to raise the awareness of cognitive biases as well as professional training about critical thinking and decision-making skills are needed.