Mapping the Scientific Landscape of Therapeutic Apheresis: The First Comprehensive Bibliometric and Science Mapping...

Bibliometrics is the quantitative analysis of written publications. Despite the growing clinical and scientific importance of therapeutic apheresis, a comprehensive bibliometric evaluation of the field has not previously been performed. This study aimed to assess the development, collaboration patterns, citation impact, and intellectual structure of therapeutic apheresis research. A descriptive bibliometric study was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection (WoS) databases. Data were retrieved on July 31, 2026. The search strategy was based on therapeutic apheresis procedures according to guidelines published by the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA). Performance analysis and science mapping were applied. VOSviewer was used for network construction and visualization. A total of 11859, 4706, and 2888 publications were identified in PubMed, Scopus, and WoS, respectively. A high degree of collaboration was observed, with > 80% of publications being multiauthored and > 80% receiving at least one citation. Average citations per publication ranged from 15.15 to 18.83. The Scopus dataset achieved an h-index of 110 and included 45 publications cited at least 200 times. Journal of Clinical Apheresis emerged as the dominant journal in both Scopus and WoS. The cocitation analysis identified 1694 cited references receiving ≥ 5 citations. The most influential references were clinical guidelines and consensus recommendations for clinical practice. Therapeutic apheresis research has evolved into a mature, multidisciplinary, and highly collaborative scientific field. As the first comprehensive bibliometric analysis of apheresis research, this study establishes a benchmark against which future advances in the field can be measured.