A decade of obstetric anaesthetic case reports publications: a focused review

Peer-reviewed medical journals tend to publish fewer case reports. We aimed to describe trends in publishing case reports in peer-reviewed anesthesiology journals over the last 10 years.

We conducted a literature search using PubMed and Web of Science databases. The study identified peer-reviewed case reports published between January 2014 and December 2024 in the 20 highest impact factor anesthesiology journals, according to Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, June 2024), and included the International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia. We identified published case reports adhering to "CARE reporting guidelines" for case reports, including the term "case report" or "case study" in their title. Obstetric anesthesia-related case reports were manually identified.

A total of 502 published case reports were identified over the 10 year period. Half of the top 20 anesthesiology journals do not publish case reports; 5 (25%) published none in the 10 year period. Among all identified published case reports, 11% were obstetric anesthesia related. Three companion journals, not among the 20 highest impact factor journals, were identified as alternative options for publishing case reports. Obstetric anesthesia-related cases represented 5.6% of their case reports. A clear temporal decline in the publication of case reports was observed.

Leading peer-reviewed anesthesiology journals do not currently publish case reports. Nevertheless, the inclusion of case reports in companion journals and other digital platforms highlight their value. Publication of case-reports in peer-reviewed medical journals is crucial for supporting clinical education and practice.