Global Research Trends of Cryoablation for Atrial Fibrillation from 2002 to 2022: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia. Cryoablation is a treatment for atrial fibrillation, which has achieved remarkable results. But there are still many problems worthy of improvement and discussion. We aim to evaluate the scientific outputs of global cryoablation of atrial fibrillation research, providing new ideas and directions for further research.

Methods: The data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on July 28, 2022. Bibliometrics tools—CiteSpace V, Microsoft Excel 2019, and the Online Analysis Platform of Literature Metrology—were used for bibliometric analysis of the published outputs.

Results: A total of 1676 research articles were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection published between 2002 and 2022, and the number of annual publications has gradually increased, with a slight decline in 2006-2008, 2011-2012, and 2021, reaching a peak in 2020. The institution with the highest number of research publications in this field was Asklepios Klin St. Georg, followed by Vrije Univ Brussel. The most productive researchers were Carlo De Asmundis, Gianbattista Chierchia, Pedro Brugada, Karlheinz Kuck, and Andreas Metzner. The most prolific journal has been the US publication Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, and Europace from England ranked second. The article “Cryoballoon or Radiofrequency Ablation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation” ranked first among all cited articles. Burst detection analysis of top keywords suggested that follow-up, task force, trial, phrenic nerve injury, and radiofrequency ablation were research hotspots.

Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive overview of cryoablation in atrial fibrillation research using bibliometric and visual methods, which will help researchers better understand the development status and trends in this field.