Knowledge structure and academic influence in lung transplantation: a systematically bibliometric analysis of highly...

End-stage respiratory diseases has become a major global health challenge, and lung transplantation (LTX) has emerged as the only currently viable therapeutic option and gained momentum in the last four decades. This study aimed to scientifically visualize the knowledge structure of the LTX research field based on highly cited documents through bibliometric analysis, while integrating current research hotspots to provide valuable insights.

Research searches and data collection were obtained from Web of Science Core Collection. Calculations and visualizations were performed through Microsoft Excel, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix R-package.

From 1980 to November 1, 2024, we identified the top 500 highly cited documents in the field of LTX. Our findings showed that USA, University of Toronto, Keshavjee S, and Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation were the top country, institution, author and journal with the highest number of publications, while Yousem SA and Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation were the top cited scholar and journal. The high frequency keywords were "bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome", "transplant recipients", and "rejection". In addition, "pulmonary fibrosis", "ischemia-reperfusion injury", "primary graft dysfunction", and "ex vivo lung perfusion" are worthy of attention.

Our study provided detailed lists of the most highly cited documents in the field of LTX, and comprehensively and visually summarized the knowledge structure of LTX field and gave valuable insights. It aims to inspire subsequent research from macro perspectives and inform the rational allocation of resources and identification of sources of collaboration.