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.”
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