Indiana Joint Replacement Institute Research Program

The goal of the Indiana Joint Replacement Institute (IJRI) Research Program is to advance hip and knee care for patients with evidence-based medicine through cutting edge collaborative research while also providing an extensive research and educational experience for medical and engineering learners. The IJRI research program is under the direction of Evan Deckard and Dr. R. Michael Meneghini. IJRI works collaboratively with the Indiana University School of Medicine Hip and Knee Center under the direction of Mary Ziemba-Davis and Drs Lenny Buller and Kevin Sonn.

Since 2011, we have published 113 peer-reviewed articles in high impact orthopedic peer-reviewed research journals. In addition, our research has been presented at numerous national and international orthopaedic meetings from the podium over 350 times, in addition to 100 research poster presentations. Most recently, our research has been acknowledged by winning the prestigious AAHKS Clinical Research Award two consecutive years. In addition, over 100 learners in medical school, residency, and fellowship have been involved with research and presented on the national stage.

Kinematic Gait Laboratory

The IJRI Kinematic Gait Laboratory is one of the few in Indiana focused on knee replacement research.  The goal of the gait lab is to understand knee motion before and after knee replacement to help guide surgeons on better techniques, implant designs, and optimal patient outcomes.  We hope to better understand how the knee bends, slides, and rotates before and after surgery to ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Recent Highlighted Publications

• The AAHKS Clinical Research Award: Are Minimum Two-Year Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Necessary for Accurate Assessment of Patient Outcomes After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty?
• The AAHKS Clinical Research Award: Extended Oral Antibiotics Prevent Periprosthetic Joint Infection in High-Risk Cases: 3855 Patients With 1-Year Follow-Up
• Safety of Same and Next Day Discharge Following Revision Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Using Modern Perioperative Protocols
• Large Femoral Heads in Total Hip Arthroplasty With Vitamin E Highly Cross-Linked Polyethylene: Head Penetration Rates Compared to Highly Cross-Linked Polyethylene
• The Effect of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Release on Kinematics and Outcomes in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty With a Dual-Pivot Conforming Polyethylene
• Reduced Infection Rate After Aseptic Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty With Extended Oral Antibiotic Protocol
• Machine Learning Algorithms Identify Optimal Sagittal Component Position in Total Knee Arthroplasty
• Enhanced Biomechanical Performance of a Modern Polyester Surgical Mesh for Extensor Mechanism Reconstruction in Total Knee Arthroplasty

Journals Published In

• Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (impact factor 5.3)
• The Journal of Arthroplasty (impact factor 4.8)
• Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (impact factor 4.2)
• Journal of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery Surgeons (impact factor 3.0)
• The Knee (impact factor 2.7)
• Journal of Knee Surgery (impact factor 2.5)
• Arthroplasty Today (impact factor 1.5)

Recent Research Awards

• 2021 AAHKS Clinical Research Award
• 2021 MAOA Carl L. Nelson, MD Award
• 2021 MAOA Dallas B. Phemister, MD Award
• 2021 IMPRS Presentation and Certificate of Excellence
• 2021 Claude Smith Black, M.D. Award for Outstanding Work in Research
• 2020 Hospital for Special Surgery Annual Meeting Richard S. Laskin, MD Research Award
• 2020 AAHKS Clinical Research Award

Research Focus Areas

• Early Discharge and Outpatient Joint Replacement
• Computer-Guided Knee Replacement
• Cementless Total Knee Replacement
• Revision and Infection of Hip and Knee Replacements
• Patient Reported Outcome Measures
• Biomechanics of Hip and Knee Joints
• Polyethylene Wear in Total Hip Replacement
• Artificial Intelligence in Joint Replacement
• Cost Accounting and Healthcare Economics in Joint Replacement

Regional, National, and International Annual Research Meeting Attendance

• Mid-America Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting
• Current Concepts in Joint Replacement Annual Meeting
• Hospital for Special Surgery Winter Holiday Knee and Hip Annual Meeting
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting
• American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting
• Closed Hip Society Annual Meeting
• Closed Knee Society Annual Meeting
• International Congress for Joint Reconstruction Annual Meeting
• World Arthroplasty Congress
• And many others…

Research Collaborations

• IUPUI School of Engineering and Technology
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
• Los Alamos National Laboratory
• University of Virginia Health System
• Rothman Institute
• OrthoCarolina
• University of Florida Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
• Tennessee Tech University