Prof. Dr. Hanife Altunkaya

Prof. Dr. Hanife Altunkaya is an anesthesiology specialist in the Anesthesiology & Reanimation unit at Acibadem Bakirkoy Hospital in İstanbul. Her clinical interests include palliative care, advanced life support and obesity treatment, and her work involves anesthesia and reanimation care for patients who require coordinated perioperative and supportive care. She has more than 44 years in medicine and has been part of Acıbadem Healthcare Services since 2006.

Dr. Altunkaya graduated from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine in 1988 and completed her specialization in Anesthesiology and Reanimation at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 1997, having worked in anesthesiology there from 1991 to 1997. From 1998 to 2000 she was Deputy Chief Physician Responsible for the Operating Room at City Hospital Ankara Cardiac Center Hospital. Between 2000 and 2004 she was Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation at Zonguldak Karaelmas University Faculty of Medicine, and from 2004 to 2006 she served there as Associate Professor. She is a member of the Europeon Society of Anesthesiologists, the Europeon Society of Regional Anesthesiologists and the Turkish Association of Anesthesiology and Reanimation. Her published work includes papers on volatile anesthetics, preoperative multimodal administration of morphine in arthroscopic surgery, intra-articular ketamine for postoperative analgesia, a local anesthesia regimen after gynecological laparoscopy, the effects of desflurane and sevoflurane on intraocular pressure, plasma pseudocholinesterase activity in surgical patients, and an ultrasonographic study of posterior lumbar dural depth in children.

Clinical focus

Dr. Altunkaya’s areas of expertise are palliative care, advanced life support and obesity treatment. In anesthesiology and reanimation, her work centers on planning and delivering anesthesia and supportive care for patients whose conditions call for close perioperative monitoring. Palliative care in this setting is concerned with symptom relief and supportive measures for patients with serious illness, while advanced life support relates to the management of patients in critical situations.

Within her subspecialty in the treatment of obesity, Dr. Altunkaya contributes anesthesia and reanimation care for patients undergoing obesity treatment, where perioperative planning is adapted to the individual patient. The suitability of any approach is assessed case by case after a review of the patient’s history and clinical findings.

How Dr. Altunkaya works with international patients

Dr. Altunkaya speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options. Video consultations are available for international patients who wish to discuss their case before traveling.