Dissemination of MIRP Reveals Need for Safer Integration of Surgical Innovations

​The initial diffusion of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy (MIRP) resulting from the development of the da Vinci surgical robot was associated with diminished perioperative patient safety when compared with open radical prostatectomy, reports a study published online July 2, 2014, in JAMA Surgery. The study, which included 401,325 patients from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample who underwent radical prostatectomy during MIRP diffusion between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2009, found that rapid diffusion onset of MIRP occurred in 2006, when the procedure accounted for 10.4% of all radical prostatectomies in the United States.