Asst. Prof. Zeynep Tuğçe Sarıkaya, MD

Asst. Prof. Zeynep Tuğçe Sarıkaya, MD is an Intensive Care specialist at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul, where she practices within the Anesthesiology & Reanimation unit. Her clinical work centers on the care and monitoring of patients who require intensive care support, including those whose condition calls for continuous observation and close clinical follow-up. She has more than 22 years of experience in medicine.

Dr. Sarıkaya graduated from İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 2004 and completed her specialty training in Anesthesiology and Reanimation at the same faculty in 2009. She has been working with Acıbadem Healthcare Services since 2011 and holds the academic title of Assistant Professor.

Clinical focus

Dr. Sarıkaya’s areas of expertise cover the following:

• Intensive care – the treatment of critically ill patients who need a level of support that cannot be provided on a general ward.
• Critical care monitoring – the continuous observation of vital functions and the interpretation of monitoring data to guide treatment.
• Anesthesiology – the field in which she completed her specialty training and which underpins her work in the intensive care unit.
• Reanimation – the supportive treatment of patients whose vital functions require assistance.

In the intensive care setting, her work involves the ongoing assessment of critically ill patients, the review of monitoring findings and the adjustment of supportive treatment as a patient’s condition changes. Her background in anesthesiology and reanimation informs her approach to patients whose vital functions need to be supported. Decisions about the type and duration of intensive care support are made on an individual basis and depend on the underlying condition, the patient’s overall status and the response to treatment. Care in the intensive care unit is typically delivered in close cooperation with the other specialties involved in a patient’s treatment.

How Dr. Sarıkaya works with international patients

Dr. Sarıkaya consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients and families who speak other languages. The 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 available options. Because intensive care is delivered to hospitalized patients, communication with families about clinical monitoring and treatment needs forms an important part of this process. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their situation or existing records before a decision about travel or treatment is made.