Dr. Ayşe Cennet Sarimehmetoğlu

My 8-year-old son, Emre, was born with a complex congenital heart defect that left him constantly fatigued and unable to keep up with his friends. After years of managing symptoms, Dr. Ayşe Cennet reviewed his case and proposed a corrective surgery that other cardiologists deemed too risky. Her approach was different—she spent an hour with us using a 3D-printed model of Emre's heart to explain every step. The surgery at Acibadem Bakirkoy was a success, and now, six months later, he's playing football. Her combination of groundbreaking technique and genuine warmth with a frightened child was nothing short of miraculous.

As a 72-year-old retired history professor with a pacemaker, I considered my quarterly checkups a bureaucratic necessity. Dr. Sarimehmetoğlu transformed that perception entirely. During my last routine visit, she didn't just read the device's report; she cross-referenced it with subtle changes in my medication logs and asked about my recent hiking trips in the Kaçkar Mountains. She detected a minor, asymptomatic arrhythmia pattern everyone else missed and adjusted my settings remotely. She treats the patient, not the chart. Her meticulous attention to the narrative of my health, not just the data, is a rare art in modern medicine.

I was 34 weeks pregnant and rushed to Acibadem Bakirkoy with sudden, crushing chest pain and shortness of breath. The ER was chaotic, but the moment Dr. Ayşe Cennet entered my room, a calm focus descended. She diagnosed me with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy—a heart failure linked to pregnancy—within minutes. What followed was a terrifying high-wire act: stabilizing my heart while protecting my unborn daughter. She coordinated a team of cardiologists and obstetricians in real-time, her decisions both swift and gentle. She held my hand while explaining the emergency C-section plan. Today, both my heart and my baby girl, Elif, are healthy. Her mastery in a crisis saved two lives.

For years, I managed my atrial fibrillation with medication, but the episodes became more frequent and debilitating. Dr. Sarimehmetoğlu recommended a cryoablation procedure. Her pre-op consultation was unlike any other; she asked about my work as a ferry captain on the Bosphorus, explaining how heart rhythm and the sea's currents both require steady, predictable patterns. The metaphor stuck with me. The procedure itself was textbook, but her follow-up was extraordinary. She didn't just call with results; she had me wear a monitor for a month and analyzed the data against my work schedule, pinpointing stress triggers. She treated the electrical fault in my heart and the rhythm of my life with equal expertise.