A Bibliometric Analysis of the 50 Most-cited Papers on Peripheral Inserted Central Catheter

Abstract

We aimed to identify and analyze the characteristics of the 50 most-cited published articles on peripheral inserted central catheter (PICC). Methods: A comprehensive list of citation classics on PICC was generated by searching the Science Citation Index expanded database, using the keywords “PICC” or “peripheral inserted central catheter”. The 50 most-cited research papers were retrieved by reading the abstract or full text if needed. All eligible articles were reviewed for basic information, including the number of citations received, the date the articles were published, journal, country of origin, author affiliations, research field, and authors. Results: In total, 656 articles were researched and the most-cited articles on PICC were published between 1975 and 2013. The total number of citations was 2586, ranging from 27 to 116 per article, with a mean of 51.72 citations. The 50 most-cited articles were distributed in 36 journals, with the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Radiology, and Pediatrics topping the list. These citation classics were from eight countries, and of these, 38 articles came from the United States. The University of Wisconsin led the list of classics, with four papers. Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging was the most common field of study in the 50 articles. Conclusion: Our bibliometric analysis provides a historical perspective on the progress of scientific research on PICC. Furthermore, the results and analysis provide useful information for further study in the field of PICC.