Rise of Regional Anesthesia in Emergency Medicine: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research Trends and...

Regional anesthesia (RA) is increasingly utilized in emergency departments (EDs) as an opioid-sparing strategy for acute pain management. However, the global research landscape, collaboration patterns, and thematic evolution of RA in emergency medicine (EM) remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to map the development of this literature and identify research priorities relevant to anesthesiologists involved in acute pain, trauma care, education, and multidisciplinary emergency services. This bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Scopus records from the database's inception to January 2026. Scopus was selected because it provides broad multidisciplinary journal coverage together with structured citation, affiliation, and author metadata required for bibliometric mapping. A search query focused on "emergency medicine" and "regional anesthesia" was applied. Bibliometric indicators, including annual scientific production, citation patterns, country contributions, journal productivity, co-authorship, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence, were analyzed using the bibliometrix package version 5.2.1 (Massimo Aria, Federico II University, Naples, Italy) in RStudio version 2024.12.1 (Posit Software, PBC, Boston, MA, USA) through Biblioshiny (the web interface of bibliometrix), and VOSviewer version 1.6.20 (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands). A total of 232 documents published between 1985 and 2026 across 79 sources were included. The annual growth rate was 4.47%, with a mean citation count of 12.2 per document. Research output increased significantly after 2015. The United States was the leading contributor in both publication volume and total citations (n=1297). The American Journal of Emergency Medicine (AJEM) and the Journal of Emergency Medicine (JEM) were the most productive sources. Brachial plexus block, erector spinae plane block, and fascia iliaca block were the most frequently studied interventions. International co-authorship was relatively low at 9.9%. Research on RA in EM has grown steadily, particularly during the past decade, but remains geographically concentrated and characterized by limited international collaboration. The prominence of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve and fascial plane blocks reflects sustained scientific attention rather than proof of clinical superiority. For anesthesiology, these trends highlight opportunities to strengthen multidisciplinary training, standardize outcome reporting, and develop multicenter studies that evaluate safety, implementation, and patient-centered outcomes in emergency care.