Assoc. Prof. M.D. Mustafa Zungur

I'm a 78-year-old retired ship captain with a heart that felt like a stormy sea. Dr. Zungur didn't just look at my EKG; he asked about my life at sea, my stress patterns, and even how I slept. He discovered my atrial fibrillation was triggered by decades of irregular sleep-wake cycles from night watches. Instead of jumping to heavy medication, he designed a 'cardiac retraining' program combining targeted ablation with circadian rhythm therapy. For the first time in 40 years, my heart beats in rhythm with the sunrise. He treats the person, not just the organ.

Our 9-year-old daughter, Elif, was born with a rare congenital heart defect that five hospitals called 'inoperable.' Dr. Zungur spent three hours with us, drawing the anatomy of her heart on a whiteboard, explaining a novel hybrid procedure he pioneered. The surgery lasted 11 hours. What amazed us most was his post-op care—he visited her ICU bed every two hours for 48 straight hours, once at 3 AM just to adjust her pillow for better circulation. He remembered she loved butterflies and had the nurses decorate her monitor with butterfly stickers. She now runs and plays. He didn't just fix a heart; he gave her a childhood.

I'm a 42-year-old marathon runner who collapsed during a race. Rushed to Acıbadem İzmir, I was certain it was dehydration. Dr. Zungur's emergency assessment was unnervingly calm yet rapid. He suspected something rarer: an anomalous coronary artery. While others might have dismissed it, he ordered an immediate CT angiogram, confirming his hunch. His approach was surgical chess—he performed a minimally invasive unroofing procedure I'd never heard of. His follow-up is uniquely meticulous: he analyzes my running GPS data and heart rate zones, tailoring my recovery like a coach. He turned a near-fatal event into a masterclass in preventive cardiology.

My husband had a routine checkup that turned into a discovery of three severely blocked arteries. What sets Dr. Zungur apart was his 'family conference' approach. He invited me and our adult children into a consultation room, used 3D-printed models of my husband's arteries to show exactly what was happening, and presented three treatment options with transparent risks. He even discussed the emotional impact on the family. During the complex bypass surgery, he sent us brief, reassuring text updates. Six months later, at a follow-up, he remembered our granddaughter's name and asked about her school play. This isn't healthcare; it's human care with surgical precision.