Characterization of global research trends and prospects on sudden coronary death: A literature visualization analysis

BACKGROUND: Sudden coronary death is a major global public health issue that has a significant impact on both individuals and society. Nowadays, scholars are active in sudden coronary death all over the world. However, no relevant bibliometric studies have been published. Here, we aim to gain a better understanding the current state of research and to explore potential new research directions through bibliometric analysis. METHODS: Articles and reviews on sudden coronary death from 2012 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The topic search was conducted using the following keywords: (((“sudden cardiac death” OR “sudden death”) AND (coronary OR “myocardial infarction”)) OR “sudden coronary death”). Knowledge maps of authors, countries, institutions, journals, keywords, and citations were conducted by CiteSpace. Publication dynamics, hotspots, and frontiers were analyzed independently by authors. RESULTS: A total of 2914 articles were identified from January 1, 2012 to June 20, 2023. The USA (n = 972) contributed the greatest absolute productivity and UK (centrality = 0.13) built a robust global collaboration. Harvard University was the institution with the highest number of publications (n = 143). Huikuri HV and Junttila MJ were the most published authors who devoted to searching for biomarkers of sudden coronary death. American Journal of Cardiology was the journal with the most publications, and Circulation was the most cited journal. Left ventricular ejection fraction, society, inflammation, and fractional flow reserve became novel burst words that lasted until 2023. Research on etiology and pathology, role of early risk factors in risk stratification, potential predictive biomarkers and novel measurement methods for the prevention and management of sudden coronary death were identified as the research hotspots and frontiers. CONCLUSION: Our knowledge and understanding of sudden coronary death have significantly improved. Ongoing efforts should focus on the various etiologies and pathologies of sudden coronary death. Furthermore, a novel sudden coronary death risk model, large-scale population studies, and the rational use of multiple indicators to individualize the assessment of sudden coronary death and other risk factors are other emerging research trends.