Imagine exploring a vast library filled with books on a fascinating topic. That’s what this study did with postoperative delirium (POD) research! Using a method called bibliometric analysis, the researchers analyzed over 2,000 articles published from 2000 to 2020 to understand the trends and hotspots in POD research. Just like popular books, some papers were cited more often than others, making them particularly impactful. The United States emerged as a leading country in this field, with the highest number of publications and citations. It’s like being the most popular author in the library! The study also identified hotspots in POD research, such as elderly patients, cardiac surgery, cognitive impairment, hip fracture, and intensive care units. These topics are like the exciting chapters that catch your attention while browsing through a book. While valuable progress has been made in diagnosing and managing POD, there is still a need for more basic research. So grab your reading glasses and explore the full article to dive deeper into the fascinating world of postoperative delirium!

BackgroundPostoperative delirium (POD) is a common aging-associated postoperative complication that has received increasing attention in the context of the aging global population and the number of articles published on POD is gradually increasing. This study aimed to quantify the basic information of scholarly publications on POD and identify the most impactful literature, trends, and hotspots in POD research.Materials and methodsWe searched articles on POD through the Science Citation Index Expanded databases published from 2000 to 2020. Bibliographic information, including year, country, authorship, type, journal, funding, affiliations, subject areas, and hotspots, was collected for further analysis.ResultsA total of 2,114 articles on POD from 2000 to 2020 were identified. The highest number of studies (n = 748) were published in the United States, comprising the most total citations (13,928), followed by China (n = 278), and Germany (n = 209). Inouye, Sharon K. was the most productive author, with 66 publications on POD. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published the highest number of articles (n = 80), with the most total citations (4,561) and average (57.01), followed by Anesthesia and Analgesia (n = 52), and the British Journal of Anaesthesia (n = 43). Harvard University was the most productive institute, with the highest H-index (n = 46) and highest degree centrality (n = 191). The top hotspots in the field of POD during this period were “elderly,” “cardiac surgery,” “cognitive impairment,” “hip fracture,” and “intensive care unit.”ConclusionThis study provides an overview of developments in the field of POD over the past 20 years using bibliometric analysis. Overall, research on POD has flourished worldwide. The United States (US) has a relatively high academic impact owing to its productive expertise and institutions in this field. Despite much research illustrating the diagnosis and management of POD in clinical practice, more basic research is needed.

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