Trends and hotspots of the neuroprotection of hypothermia treatment: A bibliometric and visualized analysis of research from 1992 to 2023.

AIM: Recent studies have extensively investigated hypothermia as a therapeutic approach for mitigating neural damage. Despite this, bibliometric analyses specifically focusing on this area remain scarce. Consequently, this study aims to comprehensively outline the historical framework of research and to pinpoint future research directions and trends. METHODS: Articles spanning from 2003 to 2023, relevant to both "neuroprotection" and "hypothermia", were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection. The CiteSpace software facilitated a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of these publications. This analysis included examining the annual productivity, collaboration among nations, institutions, and authors, as well as the network of co-cited references, authors and journals, and the co-occurrence of keywords, and their respective clusters and trends, all of which were visualized. RESULTS: This study included 2103 articles on the neuroprotection effects of hypothermia, noting a consistent increase in publications since 1992. The United States, the University of California System, and Ji Xunming emerged as the most productive nation, institution, and author, respectively. Analysis of the top 10 co-cited publications revealed that seven articles focused on the effects of hypothermia in infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, while three studies addressed cardiac arrest. Shankaran S and the journal Stroke were the most frequently co-cited author and journal, respectively. Keyword cluster analysis identified ischemic stroke as the primary focus of hypothermia therapy historically, with cardiac arrest and neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy emerging as current research foci. CONCLUSIONS: Recent studies on the neuroprotective effects of hypothermia in cardiac arrest and neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy suggest that hypothermia may mitigate neural damage associated with these conditions. However, the application of hypothermia in the treatment of ischemic stroke remains confined to animal models and in vitro studies, with a notable absence of evidence from multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Further research is required to address this gap.

O potencial da hipotermia terapêutica no tratamento do paciente crítico / Potencial terapéutico de la hipotermia en el tratamiento del paciente crítico / Therapeutic hypothermia potential in the critical patient treatment

Os fins terapêuticos da hipotermia são conhecidos desde o século XVIII e, atualmente, sua utilização obteve ênfase pela área médica. Pode ser classificada como leve, moderada ou profunda. O objetivo é demonstrar o potencial da hipotermia terapêutica no tratamento do paciente crítico. O trabalho foi elaborado a partir de uma revisão sistemática de livros e artigos científicos das bases de dados SciELO, Lilacs e Medline, no período de 1984 a 2006. Essa técnica é utilizada para fornecer neuroproteção em lesões cerebrais traumáticas, acidente vascular encefálico, hipertensão intracraniana, hemorragia subaracnóidea, entre outras condições neurológicas, além de infarto agudo do miocárdio e parada cardiorrespiratória. As principais técnicas de resfriamento são: externa/superfície, infusão de fluidos endovenosos resfriados e extracorpórea/central. As técnicas de reaquecimento são denominadas passiva, ativa externa e interna. A duração e velocidade de ambas as técnicas são fundamentais para determinar a eficácia da hipotermia na prevenção e redução de lesões neurológicas. É um tratamento altamente promissor, no entanto sua utilização não é tão ampla na prática clínica, principalmente pela falta de estrutura dos hospitais e estudos a respeito dos benefícios e complicações, tornando-se necessário maiores estudos a respeito, bem como aprimoramento dos profissionais a respeito de sua utilização.

Therapeutic aims of hypothermia are known since the Eighteenth century and currently health professionals are emphasizing its use. It can be classified as light, moderate or deep. The work aims to show the potential of therapeutic hypothermia in the treatment of the critical patient. The work was elaborated from a systematic survey of books and scientific articles of SciELO, Lilacs and Medline databases in the period from 1984 to 2006. One uses this technique to provide neuroprotection in traumatic cerebral injuries, encephalic vascular accidents, intracranial hypertension, subaracnoid hemorrhage, among other neurological conditions, besides acute myocardium infarct and cardiorespiratory arrest. The main cooling techniques are cooled external/superficial, endovenous fluid infusion and extracorporeal/central. Reheating techniques are passive and active, both external and internal. Time span and speed of both these techniques are vital to determine the effectiveness of hypothermia in the prevention and reduction of neurological injuries. It is a highly promising treatment, but its use is not much common in clinical practice, due mainly to the lack of hospital facilities and studies regarding its benefits and complications, and this makes necessary more studies about it, as well as improvement of professionals regarding its use.

Los objetivos terapéuticos de la hipotermia se conocen desde el Siglo Dieciocho y los profesionales de salud están acentuando actualmente su uso. Pueda ser clasificado como leve, moderada o profunda. El trabajo pretende demostrar el potencial de la hipotermia terapéutica en el tratamiento del paciente crítico. El trabajo fue elaborado a través un examen sistemático de libros y de artículos científicos de las bases de datos SciELO, Lilacs y Medline publicados en el período 1984 - 2006. Uno utiliza esta técnica para proporcionar neuroprotección en lesiones cerebrales traumáticas, accidentes vasculares encefálicos, hipertensión intracraneal, hemorragia del subarachnoid, entre otras condiciones neurológicas, además del infarto agudo del miocardio y de la parada cardiorrespiratoria. Las técnicas principales son hipotermia externa/superficial, infusión de fluidos endovenosos y extracorporal/central. Técnicas de recalentación utilizadas son: pasiva y activa, externa e interna. La duración y la velocidad de estas técnicas son vitales determinar la eficacia de la hipotermia en la prevención y la reducción de lesiones neurológicas. Es un tratamiento altamente prometedor, pero su uso no es mucho común en la práctica, debido principalmente a la carencia de instalaciones hospitalarias y estudios clínicos respecto sus ventajas y complicaciones, y esto hace necesario más estudios sobre el tema, así como el perfeccionamiento de profesionales respecto a su uso.