Surgeons U.S. Army Lt. Col. Karl Coutinho and U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr Justin Frisenda perform a surgical procedure at Erbil Air Base, Iraq on April 19, 2024. The procedure was a rare emergency surgery at EAB conducted by coalition partners of the U.S. Army, Navy and German Army. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Kyle Marr)
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A surgical team performs medical procedure on a U.S. service member at Erbil Air Base on April 19, 2024. The procedure was a rare emergency surgery conducted at EAB by coalition partners of the U.S. Army, Navy and German Army. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Kyle Marr)
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U.S. Army Lt. Col. Karl Coutinho prepares to perform surgery at Erbil Air Base, Iraq on April 19, 2024. The procedure was a rare emergency surgery at EAB conducted by coalition partners of the U.S. Army, Navy and German Army. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Kyle Marr)
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U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Samantha Kirk, a combat medical assigned to the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard, assists surgical procedure at Erbil Air Base, Iraq on April 19, 2024. The procedure was a rare emergency surgery at EAB conducted by coalition partners of the U.S. Army, Navy and German Army. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Kyle Marr)
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U.S. Army Lt. Col. Karl Coutinho and his coalition partners performed a significant surgical feat at Erbil Air Base’s coalition medical facility on April 19, 2024. Led by Coutinho, a team of Operation Inherent Resolve coalition surgeons conducted the first emergency surgery at Erbil’s medical facility in over three years, an exploration and bilateral orchiopexy. The procedure demonstrated the coalition forces’ interoperability and commitment to delivering premier medical care under challenging circumstances.
The U.S. service member was transported by aircraft from Baghdad to Erbil in order to receive expert care from Coutinho, who is a practicing urologist in New Jersey as well as the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s brigade surgeon. Along with U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Julianne Oates, Lt. Cmdr. Justin Frisenda, and German Army Lt. Col. Sebastian Fischer, the team performed a successful two-hour procedure. The service member discharged from EAB’s medical facility shortly after the completion of the surgery, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Oates, a nurse anesthetist involved in the surgery expressed her satisfaction with the procedure, “It was a pleasure to be a part of this patient’s care, it was great to see our operating room in action, and to see our hard work and training come to fruition.”
The precise nature of the procedure reaffirms the multi-national coalition’s ability to maintain skilled medical teams and provide advanced healthcare at a moment’s notice.
Fischer, an anesthesiologist, highlighted the significance of of international cooperation, saying that “I’m proud and happy to be part of a multinational surgery and work with my international colleagues.”
As Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve continues its mission, the surgical milestone at Erbil Air Base stands as a testament to the professionalism of its medical personnel and their collective determination to provide excellent care in emergency circumstances.
“Medicine during a deployment requires a multidisciplinary approach,” Coutinho emphasized. “A cross coalition and multi-branch surgical team seems complex but rehearsals and exercises prepared us to work as one unit. Regardless of where we are from, we all speak the same language of medicine.”
