Sinem Altunyuva Usta, MD

Sinem Altunyuva Usta, MD is a Pediatric Cardiology specialist in the Pediatrics unit at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul. With more than 28 years in medicine, she evaluates and follows children with heart conditions, including congenital heart diseases, heart valve problems, heart failure, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.

Dr. Usta graduated from İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 1998. She then worked at the İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine / Department of Medical Pharmacology from 1999 to 2000 before completing her Pediatrics training at İstanbul Göztepe Training and Research Hospital in 2004. From 2000 to 2009 she worked at the Medeniyet University Faculty of Medicine / Pediatrics Clinic. Between 2009 and 2013 she was at the Marmara University Faculty of Medicine / Department of Pediatric Cardiology, where she completed her Pediatric Cardiology training in 2013. In 2013 she joined the Pediatric Cardiology Clinic of Kartal Koşuyolu Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, and in 2022 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services. She is a member of the Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Association, Türk Pediatri Kurumu, the Adult Congenital Heart Diseases Association and the Turkish Medical Association. Her co-authored publications include case reports and clinical series on topics such as transcatheter closure of vascular anomalies and cardiovascular shunts, Kawasaki disease, coronary arteriovenous fistula and functional single ventricle.

Clinical focus

Dr. Usta’s clinical work centers on the diagnosis and follow-up of heart disease in children. A large part of this involves congenital heart diseases, that is, structural heart conditions present from birth, which may be identified in infancy or later in childhood and often require long-term monitoring. She also assesses children with heart valve problems and cardiomyopathy, conditions in which the valves or the heart muscle do not function as expected.

Her practice further includes the evaluation of children with heart failure, where the heart does not pump effectively enough to meet the body’s needs, and of arrhythmias, or disturbances of the heart’s rhythm. In each case, the aim is to clarify the diagnosis, review any previous findings and discuss with the family which next steps may be appropriate for the individual child.

How Dr. Usta works with international patients

Dr. Usta consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for families who speak other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as echocardiography or other ultrasound reports, MRI or CT reports, laboratory 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 who wish to discuss a case before or instead of traveling.