Assoc. Prof. Sevgi Topal, MD

Assoc. Prof. Sevgi Topal, MD is a pediatric intensive care specialist at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul. She works in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where she provides care for children who require close monitoring and intensive treatment. Her areas of expertise are pediatric intensive care, pediatric emergency medicine, and pediatric health and diseases. Dr. Topal has more than 16 years in medicine and consults in Turkish and English.

Dr. Topal graduated from Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine in 2010. She completed her training in Child Health and Diseases at İzmir Dr. Behçet Uz Children’s Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital in 2016, followed by Pediatric Intensive Care Unit training at Health Sciences University Dr. Behçet Uz Children’s Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital in 2020. She joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2022. She is a member of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Association.

Clinical focus

Dr. Topal’s clinical work centers on pediatric intensive care: the assessment, monitoring and treatment of critically ill children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Her background also covers pediatric emergency medicine, which concerns the initial evaluation and stabilization of children with acute illness or injury, and pediatric health and diseases, the general pediatric training on which her intensive care practice is built. Care in this setting is usually delivered by a team, and the approach for each child depends on the underlying condition and the child’s response to treatment.

Her published work reflects several topics relevant to the pediatric intensive care unit. These include central venous catheter types and their association with bloodstream infection, skin bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate in relation to central line-associated bloodstream infections and to colonization with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, viral causes of acute respiratory illness in children admitted to intensive care, the use of inhaled nitric oxide in pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome, transfusion practice in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit, and N-acetylcysteine treatment in children with non-acetaminophen-induced liver injury. She has also co-authored work on patient-ventilator asynchrony in active pediatric patients and a case report on cold exposure as a rare cause of anaphylaxis.

How Dr. Topal works with international patients

Dr. Topal consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for families who speak other languages. 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 child’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the options. Video consultation is available for international patients, which can allow an initial review of a child’s situation and existing records before any decision about travel is made. Families can expect clear communication around monitoring and treatment in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.