ATLANTIC OCEAN - The life of a Sailor is one of a traveler, with longs days at sea there are a multitude of obstacles and endless possibilities that face each and every member of the crew. At sea, life doesn’t take a pause. Emergent situations arise every day and when we face an obstacle we cannot overcome alone, we must rely on the strength and support of our shipmates. This notion became apparent to Aviation Electrician’s Mate Airman Christopher Hudalla when on June 22, 2026 he became a patient during Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower’s (CVN 69) first surgery in nearly two years.
That day started as a normal day for Hudalla, and he began his day as he would any other, showing up to work in the Avionics shop. However, by about 4 p.m., he knew something was wrong. Hudalla began to feel ill after struggling with nausea and exhaustion all day, and at the urging of his shipmates in Avionics, he reported to IKE Medical.
“I saw a [Hospital] Corpsman (HM), they took my labs, and my vitals were all over the place and not normal at all,” said Hudalla. “They were giving me medication, and nothing was working.”
Although he was nervous, Hudalla was put at ease by the IKE Medical team’s professionalism and the department’s dedication to their patients. The IKE Medical team set up a rack for Hudalla so they could monitor his condition overnight as they searched for the answer to what ailed him.
As Hudalla rested, the IKE Medical team found the problem, appendicitis. Appendicitis is a medical emergency caused by a swollen or inflamed appendix and is characterized by pain in the abdominal region. Additionally, it can cause digestive issues such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite, all of which were consistent with Hudalla’s symptoms. Normally appendicitis is a routine illness easily treated with an appendectomy, a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure. However, this particular case came with one key complication; IKE was underway.
“I definitely thought I was going to be flown off [to shore], I hadn’t even considered that we could do a surgery on board,” said Hudalla. “But the more I talked to the medical staff and they explained to me exactly how it was going to go, the more I felt comfortable going forward with it.”
Despite his comfortability with the procedure, Hudalla’s family was worried about undergoing a procedure underway.
“Of course, they were freaked out, but it’s a testament to how good medical is on board,” said Hudalla. “The whole team communicated with my family, eased their concerns, and came to an agreement about the correct course of action.”
With the procedure scheduled, IKE’s Surgeon, Lt. Cmdr. Carina Felix and her team began making preparations to perform the first surgery aboard IKE since its last deployment during Operation Prosperity Guardian in 2023.
“An operation like this is about much more than the procedure,” said Felix. “The Medical Department, like the rest of the ship, has worked so hard over the past few years in Planned Incremental Availability to work up to this moment.”
With haste, Felix and her team got to work. Less than 24 hours after Hudalla’s initial discomfort, he was prepped and ready for the operating room. Given the fact that IKE was in motion, special considerations had to be made to prevent any added complications.
“[The Senior Medical Officer] coordinates with the [Commanding Officer] to ensure that the ship doesn’t make any sharp turns or significant movements to keep our operating room as stable as possible,” said Felix. “There are many things happening at once on the ship but patient safety is prioritized.”
With the bridge team ensuring safe travel, Surgeon and her team got to work. Surgery is team effort from the top-down aboard IKE. Inside the OR, Felix is assisted by surgical technicians, who maintain the sterility of the OR and all of its equipment, pharmacy technicians who ensure all required medication is available. Once the procedure is finished, the ward corpsmen provide post-operational care to the patient.
While the team brings plenty of experience to the OR, it was an important milestone both for the whole Medical Department to show operational readiness and the HMs assisting with the procedure.
“I’ve been a surgical technician for 11 years now, and the operating room is like my second home,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Nicholas Muller. “This was my first surgery underway; it was awesome. I’ve done thousands of appendectomies, but never one in the middle of the ocean.”
Although the team has a varying degree of experience performing surgery underway, they were able to come together as a team, trust their training, and take care of their patient’s need.
“It’s just step by step procedure, I listen and trust the expertise of those around me” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Shin Chang. “Truly building trust and [emphasizing] workplace safety, allows us to flourish [as a team].”
The procedure was completed without any complications. With the surgery complete, Hudalla is recovering and thankful to IKE Medical for giving him his health back.
“It’s a crazy thing, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of community throughout the whole thing,” said Hudalla. “There I was, sick, and there [medical] was taking care of me from start to finish and ultimately doing something fairly uncommon. It was a wild experience. One I wouldn’t do again, but one I’m grateful went so well.”
With the surgery complete and the patient in recovery, IKE Medical demonstrated their capability in a way consistent with their standards.
“Successful completion of the first surgery aboard since 2023 required months of preparation, training, teamwork, a major supply overhaul, and building confidence in our ability to provide care in an operational environment,” said Felix. “Having the opportunity to lead the team through this surgery was a great milestone for our department and solidified our readiness to take care of patients wherever the mission takes us.”