Gardner-Wells Tongs Are a Safe Alternative for Intraoperative Positioning and Spine Surgery

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Spinal Surgery

Background:

• Gardner-Wells tongs (GWT) are standard for cervical spine trauma management.
• Limited data exists on GWT complications in nontraumatic spine surgery.
• This study assesses GWT complication rates in diverse spinal surgeries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of major and minor complications associated with Gardner-Wells tongs (GWT).
• To evaluate GWT safety in both traumatic and nontraumatic spine surgeries.
• To analyze GWT use in a single-surgeon, single-institution cohort.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of adult patients undergoing spinal surgery with GWT (2020-2023).
• Inclusion criteria: traumatic or nontraumatic spinal surgery at any level using GWT.
• Major complications: table breech, deep infection, pin pullout, neurovascular injury, vision disturbances. Minor complications: pin loosening, minor bleeding, superficial infection.

Main Results:

• 322 patients analyzed (53.1% male, mean age 57 years).
• Major complication incidence: 0.3% (one case of transient visual disturbance).
• Minor complication incidence: 4.66% (14 minor bleeding, 1 pin loosening).

Conclusions:

• Gardner-Wells tongs (GWT) demonstrate safety and efficacy in various spine surgeries.
• Low rates of major (<1%) and minor (<5%) complications were observed.
• Findings support GWT use in both traumatic and nontraumatic spinal procedures.