Prof. Zehra Serpil Ustalar, MD

Prof. Zehra Serpil Ustalar, MD is an anesthesiologist in the Anesthesiology & Reanimation unit at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul. Her practice covers anesthesiology and reanimation, pediatric anesthesiology and perioperative anesthesia care. She graduated from İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1989 and completed her specialization in 1997 at Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation. During her medical studies she undertook clinical placements abroad: in 1987 at South Eastern Health Board, Waterford General Hospital, Ardkeen, Waterford, Ireland, and in 1988 an elective internship in the Department of Pediatrics at Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

From 1989 to 1992 Dr. Ustalar worked as a general practitioner at the Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Center. Between 1997 and 2000 she was a lecturer at Marmara University Faculty of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, and in 1999 she spent time at Queen’s Medical Centre Nottingham, UK. In 2000 she worked as an anesthesia and reanimation specialist at Private Gaziosmanpaşa Hospital and, from 2000 to 2001, as a specialist physician at Private Çınar Hospital. She joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2001, and in 2008 she was appointed Assistant Associate Professor at Acıbadem University Faculty of Medicine and Vocational School of Health Services Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation. She is a member of the Turkish Anesthesia and Reanimation Association, the European Anesthesia Association and the Pediatric Anesthesia Association, serves as an Executive Member of the Asian Pediatric Anesthesiologists Association (ASPA) and holds the Presidency of the Anesthesia Technicians and Technologists Association. Her published work includes papers on the anesthetic management of bilateral choanal atresia, skin reactions after skin preparation with povidone iodine, an epidural hematoma case report related to Mayfield nailed headgear, diurnal changes in analgesic requirement, the effect of systemic midazolam on preemptive analgesia of peripheral morphine, and the pulmonary metabolism of propofol during the anhepatic phase of liver transplantation in an experimental model.

Clinical focus

Dr. Ustalar’s clinical work centers on anesthesiology and reanimation, which includes the assessment of patients before a procedure, the planning and delivery of anesthesia, and the monitoring and support of vital functions during and after surgery. Her perioperative anesthesia care covers the period before, during and after a planned procedure, including the review of a patient’s medical history, current medications and previous anesthetic experiences so that an appropriate anesthetic plan can be discussed with the patient and the surgical team.

A further area of her practice is pediatric anesthesiology, the anesthetic care of children undergoing surgery or other procedures that require anesthesia or sedation. Her involvement in pediatric anesthesia is reflected in her memberships of the Pediatric Anesthesia Association and the Asian Pediatric Anesthesiologists Association (ASPA), and in her published work on the anesthetic management of bilateral choanal atresia.

How Dr. Ustalar works with international patients

Dr. Ustalar consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. The hospital’s 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. For patients who are not yet in İstanbul, a video consultation can be arranged as a preliminary step.