Abstract
BackgroundResearches on artificial livers greatly contribute to the clinical treatments for liver failure. This study aimed to evaluate the research output of artificial livers and citations from 2004 to 2017 through a bibliometric analysis.MethodsA list of included articles on artificial livers were generated after a comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection (from 2004 to 2017) with the following basic information: number of publications, citations, publication year, country of origin, authors and authorship, funding source, journals, institutions, keywords, and research area.ResultsA total of 968 included articles ranged from 47 citations to 394 citations with a fluctuation. The publications were distributed in 12 countries, led by China (n = 212) and the US (n = 207). There were strong correlations of the number of citations with authors (r2 = 0.133, p < 0.001), and countries (r2 = 0.275, p < 0.001), while no correlations of the number of citations with the years since publication (r2 = 0.016, p = 0.216), and funding (r2 < 0.001, p = 0.770) were identified. Keyword analysis demonstrated that with the specific change of “acute liver failure,” decrease in “bioartificial livers” and “hepatocyte,” and increase in “tissue engineering” were identified. The top 53 cited keyword and keyword plus (including some duplicates counts) were identified, led by bioartificial liver (405 citations) and hepatocyte (248 citations). The top 50 cited keywords bursts were mainly “Blood” (2004–2008), “hepatocyte like cell” (2008–2015), and “tissue engineering” (2014–2017). All keywords could be classified into four categories: bioartificial livers (57.40%), blood purification (25.00%), clinical (14.81%), and other artificial organs (2.78%).DiscussionThis study shows the process and tendency of artificial liver research with a comprehensive analysis on artificial livers. However, although it seems that the future of artificial livers seems brighter for hepatocyte transplantation, the systems of artificial livers now are inclined on focusing on blood purification, plasma exchange, etc.
Highlights
Owing to the high mortality of liver failure, numerous studies had investigated its treatment
A total of 2,954 papers were identified after the initial record in the Web of Science (WoS) from 1986 to 2017
There were twice descents in 2005–2007 and 2014–2016, probably for the following reasons: (1) the average annual incidence rate of liver failure decreased (Ichai & Samuel, 2011); (2) some investigators had finished their projects on artificial livers and changed their research orientation (Sugawara, Nakayama & Mochida, 2012; Todo & Furukawa, 2004); (3) WoS only covered a small part of publications (Tanaka et al, 2011)
Summary
Owing to the high mortality of liver failure, numerous studies had investigated its treatment. Researches on artificial livers greatly contribute to the clinical treatments for liver failure. Methods: A list of included articles on artificial livers were generated after a comprehensive search of the Web of Science Core Collection (from 2004 to 2017) with the following basic information: number of publications, citations, publication year, country of origin, authors and authorship, funding source, journals, institutions, keywords, and research area. Discussion: This study shows the process and tendency of artificial liver research with a comprehensive analysis on artificial livers. It seems that the future of artificial livers seems brighter for hepatocyte transplantation, the systems of artificial livers are inclined on focusing on blood purification, plasma exchange, etc
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
