Unveiling the Hidden Burden: Mapping the Landscape of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Research. A Bibliometric Study and Visualization Analysis

BACKGROUND: Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) has become a major concern for patients and their families due to the rising number of ICU admissions. We conducted a bibliometric analysis to identify hotspots and trends in PICS research. MATERIAL/METHODS: We searched for PICS-related publications in the Web of Science Core Collection up to May 1, 2022. We used CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica to analyze collaboration among countries, institutions, and authors, and to identify research hotspots and frontiers. RESULTS: Our analysis included 294 research papers on PICS, with the United States leading the field with 146 published papers. Collaboration among institutions and authors was active mainly in the Americas, Europe, and Australia. Highly cited researchers were members of the Outcomes After Critical Illness and Surgery (OACIS) Group, with Ramona O Hopkins as the most published author. Research topics focused on septic shock, COVID-19, qualitative research, and rehabilitation, with publications primarily in critical care medicine journals. Keyword analysis revealed that the main research focus included stress disorders, quality of life, mechanical ventilation, acute lung injury, risk factors, and descriptive studies during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: PICS research is limited, focusing primarily on short-term clinical effects and lacking long-term prognostic observations and multinational studies. Increased collaboration among countries and regions is necessary to advance research in this field. Hotspots in research focus on prognosis and an integrated approach to management.