Trends and hotspots of the neuroprotection of hypothermia treatment: A bibliometric and visualized analysis of research from 1992 to 2023

Abstract

AimRecent studies have extensively investigated hypothermia as a therapeutic approach for mitigating neural damage. Despite this, bibliometric analyses specifically focusing on this area remain scarce. Consequently, this study aims to comprehensively outline the historical framework of research and to pinpoint future research directions and trends.MethodsArticles spanning from 2003 to 2023, relevant to both “neuroprotection” and “hypothermia”, were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection. The CiteSpace software facilitated a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of these publications. This analysis included examining the annual productivity, collaboration among nations, institutions, and authors, as well as the network of co‐cited references, authors and journals, and the co‐occurrence of keywords, and their respective clusters and trends, all of which were visualized.ResultsThis study included 2103 articles on the neuroprotection effects of hypothermia, noting a consistent increase in publications since 1992. The United States, the University of California System, and Ji Xunming emerged as the most productive nation, institution, and author, respectively. Analysis of the top 10 co‐cited publications revealed that seven articles focused on the effects of hypothermia in infants with hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy, while three studies addressed cardiac arrest. Shankaran S and the journal Stroke were the most frequently co‐cited author and journal, respectively. Keyword cluster analysis identified ischemic stroke as the primary focus of hypothermia therapy historically, with cardiac arrest and neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy emerging as current research foci.ConclusionsRecent studies on the neuroprotective effects of hypothermia in cardiac arrest and neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy suggest that hypothermia may mitigate neural damage associated with these conditions. However, the application of hypothermia in the treatment of ischemic stroke remains confined to animal models and in vitro studies, with a notable absence of evidence from multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Further research is required to address this gap.