Global Research Trends and Future Direction in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a pregnancy-related myocardial disease. PPCM has a high morbidity and mortality rate, but neither partial nor complete recovery is highly probable.

Objective: To analyze global scientific production and identify research hotspots related to PPCM.

Methods: The keyword "peripartum cardiomyopathy" was used to retrieved articles from Scopus database. A total of 509 articles were extracted. We used Scopus database analysis report and VOSviewer (version 1.6.18) to analyze annual publication number, country, citation and H-index, authors, institution, source journal, reference, and research hotspot.

Results: The trend of annual publication numbers has increased significantly, with the United States leading the amounts of publication and H-index in PPCM study. Hilfiker-Kleiner, D. contributed the most publications and the most active institution was Medizinische Hochschule Hannover MHH. By employing an overlay visualization, we shed light on the evolving research emphases, wherein prominent topics such as "diagnostic imaging" and "practical guidelines" have emerged as major areas of focus in recent years.

Conclusion: From 1971 to 2022, numbers of publications in PPCM research have increased gradually, and this trend is predicted to keep arising. Recent studies are becoming more focused on diagnostic imaging and practical guidelines. In the future, expanding global collaboration and conducting more in-depth studies are needed.