Zeynep Ekici Ljama, MD

Zeynep Ekici Ljama, MD is an anesthesiology specialist at Acibadem Taksim Hospital in İstanbul, where she practices within the Anesthesiology & Reanimation unit. Her work centers on the anesthetic care of patients before, during and after surgery, including perioperative anesthesia care, surgical anesthesia management, tailored anesthesia planning and perioperative pain management. She has more than 31 years of experience in medicine.

Dr. Ljama graduated from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine in 1995. She then completed her specialty training in Anesthesiology and Reanimation at Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine, finishing in 2006. She has been working with Acıbadem Healthcare Services since 2020. She speaks Turkish and English.

Clinical focus

Anesthesiology covers the whole period around an operation rather than a single step. Dr. Ljama’s clinical focus is perioperative anesthesia care: assessing patients before surgery, planning and delivering anesthesia in the operating room, and supporting the early recovery phase afterward. Surgical anesthesia management involves selecting and adjusting anesthetic techniques and medications according to the type of operation, monitoring vital functions throughout the procedure and responding to changes as they occur. This work is carried out in close coordination with the surgical and clinical teams caring for the patient.

Tailored anesthesia planning means that the anesthetic approach is not identical for every patient. Age, existing medical conditions, current medications, previous experiences with anesthesia and the nature of the planned operation are taken into account when the plan is prepared and discussed. Perioperative pain management is a further component of her practice, addressing pain control in the hours and days around surgery so that patients can recover as comfortably as their condition allows. As with all anesthetic care, the specific approach depends on the individual patient and the surgery planned, and is decided together with the treating team rather than in isolation.

How Dr. Ljama works with international patients

Dr. Ljama speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. For international patients, 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. In the context of anesthesia, this discussion may also touch on the patient’s general health, current medications and any previous experiences with anesthesia ahead of the planned procedure. Video consultation is available for international patients, which can allow an initial discussion to take place before travel is arranged.