Heekin Orthopedic Research Institute

Director: Gwen Gratto-Cox

Clinical Research and Trials

Principal Investigators

R. David Heekin, MD, FACS
Gavan P. Duffy, MD

Clinical Research PAs

Erin Laipply, PA-C
Diane Heath, PA-C
Mary Bunton, PA-C

Institute Overview

The clinical research team maintains a computerized research database to monitor clinical outcomes and radiographic analyses of the most minimally invasive total knee and hip replacement patients in the state of Florida. We are currently involved in FDA studies evaluating the safety and effectiveness of newly designed knee and hip implants. Our team is also involved in multi-center clinical studies evaluating the performance of total knee and hip implants designed to return patients to optimal function.

Heekin Orthopedic Research Institute investigates current orthopedic surgical and clinical techniques in order to refine or develop new procedures or technology to improve outcomes for patients. By partnering with manufacturers and hospitals we can create new products to enhance the quality of life for patients with painful joints.

We believe that the research conducted at Heekin Orthopedic Research Institute provides meaningful insights to the advances of total joint replacement in our community and throughout the world.

Current Ongoing Projects

Total Joint Registry: We maintain a Total Joint Registry collecting and evaluating orthopedic data on over 2500 patients receiving total knee or hip arthroplasty
Does Implant Design Improve Postoperative Flexion? A Prospective, Randomized, Comparative, Multi-center Study Comparing PFC® Sigma™ RP Knee versus PFC® Sigma™ RP-F Knee Implanted in Simultaneous Bilateral Subjects
Midvastus vs. Medial Parapatellar Approach for Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty
Anterior Referencing vs. Posterior Referencing in Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty
The Return of Quadriceps Strength after Primary Total Knee Replacement
The Effect of Preoperative Nutritional Status on Outcomes of Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty Performed within One Week
Outcomes of Total Knee Revision using Triathlon® TS Components
Trident® Tritanium TM Acetabular Shell Revision Study
Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty in Obese Subjects
Triathlon PKR Outcomes Study
Long Term Outcomes and Poly Wear Analysis of Total Hip Arthroplasty using Delta Biolox Ceramic Heads in Combination with Concentric X3 Liners and Secur-Fit Max Stems
Scorpio®+ PS Mobile Bearing Knee IDE Study
Patient Satisfaction After Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty
Patient Expectations Regarding Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty