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Research & Publications

Dr. Dattilo is an active academic surgeon who has authored more than 45 peer-reviewed publications and presentations in hip and knee replacement. His research shapes how he practices — from minimizing narcotics after surgery to reducing complications and improving outcomes.

Areas of research

Dr. Dattilo’s published work spans several themes that map directly onto the care he provides:

Selected publications

Opioid-sparing pain management

Determining how many narcotics joint replacement patients actually need — the foundation of Dr. Dattilo’s narcotic-free approach.

Dattilo JR, et al. Narcotic consumption in opioid-naïve patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty. The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2020.

Opioid stewardship

How a patient’s prior opioid use affects recovery and complications after joint replacement.

Dattilo JR, et al. Preoperative opiate use independently predicts narcotic consumption and complications following total joint arthroplasty. The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2017.

Revision & complex reconstruction

Diagnosing and managing failed prior hip replacement — central to Dr. Dattilo’s revision practice.

Dattilo JR, et al. Evaluation and management of failed hemiarthroplasty. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2018.

Quality & safety

A protocol that safely reduced unnecessary hospital readmissions after hip and knee replacement.

Dattilo JR, et al. “Hot Joints” infection protocol reduces unnecessary postoperative readmissions following total hip and knee arthroplasty. The Bone & Joint Journal. 2017.

Surgical technique

Preventing, recognizing, and managing the unexpected during primary hip replacement.

Dattilo JR, et al. Solving intraoperative challenges during primary total hip arthroplasty: prevention, recognition, and management. The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2026.

Peer-reviewed publications

A selection of Dr. Dattilo’s peer-reviewed journal articles:

  1. Ledford CK, Taunton MJ, Cohen EM, Dattilo JR, Hamilton WG. Solving Intraoperative Challenges During Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: Prevention, Recognition, and Management. J Arthroplasty. 2026; Epub ahead of print
  2. Dattilo JR, Cororaton A, Ho H, Hopper R, Hamilton W. Narcotic consumption in opioid naïve patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2020 Sep; 35(9): 2392-2396. PMID:342451281.
  3. Dattilo JR, Cororaton A, Ho H, Hopper R, Hamilton W. Narcotic consumption in opioid naïve patients undergoing unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2020 Aug; 35(8): 2022-2026. PMID: 32265140.
  4. Dattilo JR, Parks NL, Ho H, Hopper RH, McAsey CJ, Hamilton WG. Does a “July Effect” Exist For Fellowship Training in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty? Journal of Arthroplasty. 2020 May; 35(5):1208-1213. PMID: 31987687.
  5. Gittings D, Dattilo J, Fryhofer G, Martin A, Hast M, Mehta S. The Saline Load Test is Effective at Diagnosing Traumatic Arthrotomies of the Shoulder. J Surg Orthop Adv. 2019; 28(4): 268-271. PMID: 31886762.
  6. Sheth N, Dattilo J, Schwarzkopf R. Evaluation and management of failed hemiarthroplasty. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2018 Oct 15; 36(20):717-726. PMID: 30138292.
  7. Rudasil S, Dattilo JR, Liu JB, Clements A, Nelson CL, Kamath AF. Using Illness Rating Systems to Predict Discharge Location Following Total Knee Arthroplasty. Knee Surg Relat Res. 2018 Mar 1; 30(1): 50-57. PMID: 29482304.
  8. Rudasill S, Dattilo JR, Liu JB, Nelson CL, Kamath AF. Do illness rating systems predict discharge location, length of stay, and cost after total hip arthroplasty? Arthroplasty Today. 2018 Mar 21; 4(2): 210-215. PMID: 29896555.
  9. Dattilo JR, Gittings DJ, Sloan M, Charette R, Hume E, Lee GC. “Hot Joints” infection protocol reduces unnecessary postoperative readmissions following total hip and knee arthroplasty. Bone Joint Journal. Dec 2017; 99(12): 1603-1610. PMID: 29212683.
  10. Dattilo JR, Gittings DJ, Sloan M, Hardaker WM, Deasey MJ, Sheth NP. Is there an app for that? Orthopaedic patient preferences for a smartphone application. Appl Clin Inform. 2017; 8(3): 832-844. PMID: 28885637.
  11. Gittings D, Dattilo J, Fryhofer G, Donegan D, Baldwin K. Treatment of hip flexion contracture with psoas recession through the middle window of the ilioinguinal approach. JBJS Essent Surg Tech. 2017 Aug; 7(3): e25. PMID: 30233960.
  12. Rozell JC, Courtney PM, Dattilo JR, Wu CH, Lee GC. Preoperative Opiate Use Independently Predicts Narcotic Consumption and Complications Following Total Joint Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2017 Aug; 32: 2658-2662. PMID: 28478186.
  13. Gittings DJ, Dattilo JR, Hardaker WM, Sheth NP. Evaluation and Treatment of Femoral Osteolysis Following Total Hip Arthroplasty. JBJS Rev. 2017; Aug 15. PMID: 28806267.
  14. Rozell JC, Courtney PM, Dattilo JR, Wu CH, Lee GC. Late Complications Following Elective Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Who, When, and How? J Arthroplasty. 2017;32:719-723. PMID: 27682005.
  15. Gittings D, Hesketh P, Dattilo J, Zgonis M, Kelly J, Mehta S. Arthroscopic lysis of adhesions improves knee range of motion after fixation of intra-articular fractures about the knee. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2016;136:1631-1635. PMID: 27576878.
  16. Bernard JA, Dattilo JR, Srikumaran U, Zikria BA, Jain A, LaPorte DM. Reliability and Validity of 3 Methods of Assessing Orthopedic Resident Skill in Shoulder Surgery. J Surg Educ. 2016;73:1020-1025. PMID: 27267562.
  17. Rozell JC, Courtney PM, Dattilo JR, Wu CH, Lee GC. Should All Patients Be Included in Alternative Payment Models for Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty and Total Knee Arthroplasty? J Arthroplasty. 2016;31:45-49. PMID: 27118348.
  18. Sampognaro PJ, Mitchell SL, Weeks SR, Khalifian S, Markman TM, Uebel LW, Dattilo JR. Medical student appraisal: electronic resources for inpatient pre-rounding. Appl Clin Inform. 2013;4:403-418. PMID: 24155792.
  19. Issa K, Naziri Q, Johnson AJ, Memon T, Dattilo J, Harwin SF, Mont MA. Evaluation of patient satisfaction with physical therapy following primary THA. Orthopedics. 2013;36:e538-542. PMID: 23672902.
  20. Bernard JA, Dattilo JR, Laporte DM. The incidence and reporting of sharps exposure among medical students, orthopedic residents, and faculty at one institution. J Surg Educ. 2013;70:660-668. PMID: 24016379.
  21. Markman TM, Sampognaro PJ, Mitchell SL, Weeks SR, Khalifian S, Dattilo JR. Medical student appraisal: applications for bedside patient education. Appl Clin Inform. 2013;4:201-211. PMID: 23874358.
  22. Bow HC, Dattilo JR, Jonas AM, Lehmann CU. A crowdsourcing model for creating preclinical medical education study tools. Acad Med. 2013;88:766-770. PMID: 23619061.
  23. Dattilo JR, Juraschek SP, Everett A. Obsessed with Facebook. Current Psychiatry. 2013; 12:46-50.
  24. Khalifian S, Markman T, Sampognaro P, Mitchell S, Weeks S, Dattilo J. Medical student appraisal: searching on smartphones. Appl Clin Inform. 2013;4:53-60. PMID: 23650487.
  25. McElroy MJ, Sponseller PD, Dattilo JR, Thompson GH, Akbarnia BA, Shah SA, Snyder BD. Growing rods for the treatment of scoliosis in children with cerebral palsy: a critical assessment. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012;37:E1504-1510. PMID: 22926278.
  26. Dattilo J, McCarthy EF. Liposclerosing myxofibrous tumor (LSMFT), a study of 33 patients: should it be a distinct entity? Iowa Orthop J. 2012;32:35-39. PMID: 23576919.
  27. Tschop J, Dattilo JR, Prakash PS, Kasten KR, Tschop MH, Caldwell CC. The leptin system: a potential target for sepsis induced immune suppression. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2010;10:336-347. PMID: 20923403.
  28. Kasten KR, Tschop J, Goetzman HS, England LG, Dattilo JR, Cave CM, Seitz AP, Hildeman DA, Caldwell CC. T-cell activation differentially mediates the host response to sepsis. Shock. 2010;34:377-383. PMID: 20610943.
  29. Adediran SG, Dauplaise DJ, Kasten KR, Tschop J, Dattilo J, Goetzman HS, England LG, Cave CM, Robinson CT, Caldwell CC. Early infection during burn-induced inflammatory response results in increased mortality and p38-mediated neutrophil dysfunction. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2010;299:R918-925. PMID: 20592179.
  30. Tschop J, Kasten KR, Nogueiras R, Goetzman HS, Cave CM, England LG, Dattilo J, Lentsch AB, Tschop MH, Caldwell CC. The cannabinoid receptor 2 is critical for the host response to sepsis. J Immunol. 2009;183:499-505. PMID: 19525393.

Care informed by research

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