Acibadem Altunizade Hospital Reviews

A 3-year-old refugee boy from Syria, recently arrived in Istanbul with his single mother, presented with severe developmental delays and failure to thrive. Dr. Kuter diagnosed severe iron deficiency anemia and global developmental delay exacerbated by trauma. She arranged for donated formula, connected the family with a refugee support organization, and provided play therapy referrals in their native language, showing marked improvement over six months.

An 8-year-old girl from a rural Anatolian village was brought by her grandmother after traditional healers failed to treat her recurrent abdominal pain. Dr. Kuter diagnosed Henoch-Schönlein purpura through careful physical exam revealing the characteristic rash on the lower extremities, which the family had attributed to 'evil eye.' She educated the grandmother about the condition using cultural metaphors while providing evidence-based treatment.

A 16-year-old aspiring musician from an upper-middle-class family presented with sudden hearing loss in one ear. Dr. Kuter identified it as sudden sensorineural hearing loss—a pediatric emergency. She immediately initiated steroid therapy and arranged for urgent audiology consultation, saving most of his hearing and allowing him to continue his musical studies with accommodations.

My 92-year-old mother, who has complex geriatric needs, was hospitalized with pneumonia. Dr. Seda Aras Gürcan, though a pediatrician, was consulted due to her history of childhood-onset cystic fibrosis. Her approach was astonishing. She didn't just treat the acute infection; she spent an hour reconstructing my mother's entire pediatric medical history, connecting it to her current pulmonary decline. She coordinated with the adult pulmonologists, providing insights from a developmental perspective that no one else had considered. Her care bridged nine decades of medical history.

Our 8-day-old newborn, Leo, stopped breathing at home. The ambulance rushed us to Acıbadem Altunizade. Dr. Gürcan met us in the ER, her calmness cutting through our panic. While the team stabilized him, she explained transient tachypnea of the newborn not with medical jargon, but by drawing a simple diagram on a glove. She stayed with us for 6 hours until he was out of danger, telling us stories of her own training to keep us distracted. She didn't just save our son; she held our family together.

For my 7-year-old's routine school check-up, Dr. Gürcan did something extraordinary. Noticing he flinched at the height chart, she abandoned the standard exam. Instead, she got on the floor and asked him to build a tower with blocks while 'secretly' checking his coordination. She discovered a subtle vision tracking issue missed for years. Her report wasn't a form; it was a narrative about his strengths and a single, fixable weakness. She turned a 15-minute appointment into a life-changing discovery.

My teenage daughter required complex spinal surgery for severe scoliosis. Dr. Gürcan was our pre-op and post-op guide. The night before surgery, she didn't talk about risks; she asked my daughter about her favorite music and created a surgery-day playlist with her. Post-op, during a painful recovery, Dr. Gürcan would visit and discuss the biomechanics of ballet (my daughter's passion) to explain the healing process. She treated the surgery not as a procedure, but as an event in my daughter's life story, managing the medical and the emotional with equal genius.

Dr. dr Selen Burçak Şimşek provided exceptional care for my dental surgery condition. The treatment was personalized and effective.

I was impressed by the professional approach at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital. Dr. dr Selen Burçak Şimşek explained everything clearly and made me feel comfortable.

The recovery process was smooth thanks to Dr. dr Selen Burçak Şimşek's expertise. Highly recommend for dental surgery treatment.

My family and I are grateful for the care we received from Dr. dr Selen Burçak Şimşek. The hospital staff was also very supportive.

Our 88-year-old grandfather, Mehmet, developed an incarcerated umbilical hernia that his GP said was inoperable due to his age and heart condition. We were desperate. Dr. Aksöyek didn't see an elderly man; he saw a person who deserved comfort. He coordinated a novel, minimally invasive laparoscopic repair with the cardiology team present in the OR at Acibadem Altunizade. The surgery took 40 minutes. Grandpa was sipping tea that evening. Dr. Aksöyek's philosophy isn't about age, it's about life quality. He gave my grandfather his dignity back.

Our 3-day-old newborn, Elif, was diagnosed with esophageal atresia in utero. The terror of those final pregnancy weeks is indescribable. Dr. Aksöyek met us the day of the diagnosis with a hand-drawn diagram, explaining the thoracoscopic repair he would perform once she was stable. He didn't just operate on a defect; he guided us through her first month of life in the NICU, showing us how to handle her feeds and tiny chest tubes. His hands performed magic, but his calm, steady presence was the real surgery on our fears. Elif is now 6 months old, thriving, and her scars are barely visible.

A Saturday soccer game turned into a nightmare when my 12-year-old son, Can, took a knee to the abdomen. At the ER, a scan revealed a lacerated spleen. It was chaotic. Dr. Aksöyek, who was on call, cut through the panic with immediate, clear decisions. He advocated for and successfully managed Can non-operatively, but monitored him in PICU like a hawk for 72 hours. He explained every blood count result to us, turning medical jargon into a story of healing. He saved my son's spleen and his soccer future. This wasn't just treatment; it was masterful crisis navigation.

For years, my 16-year-old daughter, Lara, lived with the shame of a severe pilonidal sinus. Multiple infections, failed drainage procedures elsewhere. She refused to go swimming or sit for long. Dr. Aksöyek proposed the Karydakis flap procedure, not as just another surgery, but as a definitive solution. His pre-op talk was with *her*, not just us parents. He respected her autonomy. The surgery was precise, the recovery exactly as he mapped out. At the follow-up, he declared her 'officially discharged' and handed her a brochure for water parks. He fixed more than a sinus; he gave a teenager her confidence back.

Our 92-year-old grandmother, Ayşe, was admitted with severe pneumonia and complications from her existing COPD. Most doctors saw only her age. Dr. Özcan saw her personhood. She coordinated a delicate treatment plan with pulmonology, explaining every medication interaction to us in plain Turkish. She sat by Nene's bed each morning, holding her hand and speaking softly, which seemed to calm her confusion. The recovery was slow, but Dr. Özcan never rushed. She treated our grandmother with a dignity we hadn't seen in other hospitals. She's not just a pediatrician; she's a healer who understands the whole family.

Our 8-day-old son, Atlas, stopped breathing at home. The ambulance brought us to Acıbadem Altunizade in panic. Dr. Özcan met us in the ER, her calm presence cutting through our terror. She diagnosed a rare tracheoesophageal fistula—a tiny, life-threatening defect. She didn't just explain the complex surgery; she drew it for us on a whiteboard. During the 5-hour procedure, she sent a nurse with updates every 45 minutes. Post-op, she noticed a subtle change in his breathing pattern at 3 AM and adjusted his care instantly. She saved his life with precision and cared for our souls with profound empathy.

For my 6-year-old daughter Elif's routine asthma checkup, Dr. Özcan did something extraordinary. Instead of just listening to her lungs, she got down on the floor. She asked Elif to teach her stuffed rabbit 'Dr. Tavşan' how to use the inhaler correctly. Through this play, she discovered Elif was using her spacer wrong for months. She then spent 20 minutes with me, not just adjusting medication, but brainstorming how to make the school nurse understand Elif's needs. It wasn't a checkup; it was a masterclass in seeing the child behind the chart. Elif now asks when we can go back to see 'the doctor who plays.'

My teenage son, Deniz (15), was referred after six months of unexplained fatigue and joint pain. Other specialists dismissed it as 'growing pains' or anxiety. Dr. Özcan ordered a specific, rarely considered panel of tests and diagnosed early-stage Lyme disease—contracted during a scout trip. Her approach was unique: she spoke directly to Deniz first, asking about his soccer goals, then explained the science to him like a colleague. She created a treatment plan that worked around his exam schedule and even emailed his school to arrange accommodations. She treated him not as a child, but as a young adult capable of understanding his own health. The recovery has been remarkable.

Dr. dr Selin Sirkeci provided exceptional care for my dental surgery condition. The treatment was personalized and effective.