Unfolding the clinical research landscape on bacterial infections in cirrhosis: Trends, hotspots, and analytical insights

Abstract

Background: Bacterial infection is the most common complication in cirrhosis patients. This study evaluated the research hotspots and trends of bacterial infections in cirrhosis through bibliometric analysis, and provides guidance for future research on bacterial infection in cirrhosis.

Methods: We extracted publications on bacterial infections associated with cirrhosis from the Web of Science Core Collection, covering the period from January 2000 to May 2025. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric analysis.

Results: Publications on bacterial infections in cirrhosis reflect an upward trend, with 69 countries/territories contributing to research, of which United States ranks first with 324 publications. The Journal of Hepatology is the prime publication on liver cirrhosis associated with bacterial infections, Fernandez Javier being the most-cited author. Cirrhosis with bacterial infection is the most popular research topic regarding mortality, infection, ascites and sepsis. The research hotspots of the future are systemic inflammation, acute-on-chronic liver failure and chronic liver failure.

Conclusion: The hotspots and trends of related research are discussed, and the research results are presented objectively through knowledge maps. The research directions in this field are analyzed to provide a reference for subsequent clinical research.