[Intensive care research in Germany--an analysis of papers in important international journals]

The present study was designed to assess who is responsible for publications in important english-written intensive care journals.

10 english-written journals that exclusively or mainly publish intensive care papers were analysed over the past 10 years (from 1988 to 1997). All German universities were included and publications were specified according to the speciality (e.g. anesthesiology, internal medicine, neurosurgery) and the university of origin of the publication. Letters, abstracts, editorials, meeting-reports, and news were not included in the analysis.

A total of 804 publications was found in the analysed journals. 343 publications were originated from interne medicine departments (433 of all publications), 207 were from anesthesiology departments (26%). Papers from surgical departments were only rarely found (cardiac surgery: 14 papers; neurosurgery: 12 papers; general/trauma surgery: 34 papers). 150 publications originated from neurology departments, and only 44 pediatric intensive care papers were found. A wide range of contributions from the specific universities were seen (ranging from 0 to 43 papers). Universities from former East Germany published very rarely in international intensive care journals (3%).

Only few German universities have published in important intensive care journals over the past 10 years. Some interne medicine and some anesthesia departments were markedly engaged in this speciality, whereas several other universities and most universities from former East Germany did not participate significantly in the international intensive care literature.