Global research productions pertaining to atrial fibrillation from 2004 to 2018: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND: We analyzed the scientific outputs of global atrial fibrillation (AF) researches, developed a model to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the AF research productions from 2004 to 2018. METHODS: The data was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) on June 15, 2019. Bibliometrics tools—CiteSpace V (Drexel university, Chaomei Chen) and VOSviewer (Leiden University, van Eck NJ) --were used for bibliometric analyzing published outputs and finding research hotspots. RESULTS: There were a total of 21,839 research articles on AF, and the annual publication rate increased over time from 2004 to 2018. The Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology published the greatest number of articles, and the leading country was the United States. The leading institution was the Mayo Clinic, and the most productive researchers were: LIP GYH, Natale A, Chen SA, DI Biase L, and Kuck KH. The keywords analysis showed that catheter ablation, risk, heart failure, stroke, and management were research hotspots. CONCLUSION: Bibliometric analysis of the literature shows that research on AF continues to be a hot spot, and the clinical treatment of AF is an important research frontier. However, further research and collaboration are needed worldwide. Our findings aim to provide valuable information for the editors of journals that publish research on arrhythmia, and to help researchers identify new perspectives for future researches.