Global research hot spots and trends in abdominal trauma: A bibliometric analysis

  Background  Trauma is the leading cause of death among adults under 45 years. To the best of our knowledge, the bibliometric analysis of abdominal trauma has not been reported.

  Objective  The global literature on abdominal trauma from 2011 to 2021 was analyzed to reveal the research status and development trends of abdominal trauma in recent ten years, so as to provide references for later researchers to grasp the research hotspots and identify influential literature, authors, or institutions in this field.

  Methods  All literatures related to abdominal trauma included in the core database of Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) from 2011 to 2021 were retrieved. The publication trend was analyzed using the bibliometrics online analysis platform. Microsoft Excel 2016 and VOS viewer software were applied to collect and analyze the keywords and research hotspots related to abdominal trauma.

  Results  As of December 31, 2021, a total of 943 abdominal trauma-related articles from 2011 to 2021 were identified. The United States accounted for the most publications (34.0%), followed by China (9.3%) and Turkey (7.1%). The University of California (39) and the JOURNAL OF TRAUMA AND ACUTE CARE SURGERY (54) was the institution and journal with the most publications, respectively. American professor HOLMES JF was the most prolific author in the field of abdominal trauma. By analyzing the keywords, five research hotspots were identified, including “abdominal trauma-related complications”, “abdominal trauma minimally invasive treatment”, “abdominal trauma management”, “abdominal trauma diagnosis” and “abdominal trauma examination methods”.

  Conclusion  The United States has the most publications in the area of abdominal trauma, and the latest findings in this area are available in the JOURNAL OF TRAUMA AND ACUTE CARE SURGERY. The research focusing on abdominal trauma has gradually shifted from “minimally invasive treatment”, “trauma management” and “diagnostic and examination methods” to “abdominal trauma complications” and “risk factors and prognosis analysis”. How to improve the survival rate of patients with abdominal trauma will be the top priority in the future.