Scientific Publication Performance of the Erector Spinae Plane Block in Turkiye: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Objective: Erector spina plane block (ESPB) was first described in 2016 and is effective in various surgical procedures. Bibliometric analysis is a novel method that evaluates the contribution of scientific studies conducted in a specific field on the existing literature. This study examined articles on ESPB published by anaesthesia clinics in Turkiye in journals under the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) category.

Methods: Studies on ESPB indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection and published in Turkiye from 2018 to 2022 were evaluated. The primary outcome was to determine the number of studies published in journals under the SCI-E category. The secondary aims were to determine the number of citations and the institutions where the studies were conducted.

Results: A total of 159 publications were analyzed. The journal with the highest number of publications was "Journal of Clinical Anesthesia" (n = 70). The institution that has to date made the most contributions to the literature was Ataturk University (n = 31). The most cited article was "Ultrasound guided erector spinae plane block reduces postoperative opioid consumption following breast surgery: A randomized controlled study." published by Gurkan et al. (n = 175).

Conclusion: This study reflects the contribution level of Turkiye-addressed anaesthesia clinics to journals under the SCI-E category. Our findings can serve as a benchmark for attracting the attention of national and international researchers.