A Bibliometric Analysis of Surgical Site Infections in Pediatric Surgery

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to examine the existing scientific literature on surgical site infections in the field of pediatric surgery through a bibliometric analysis. In this context, it aims to identify publication trends and highlight current research gaps within the field.

Method: A total of 956 articles were included in the analysis based on a search conducted on October 8, 2025, in the Web of Science database using keywords such as “surgical site infection,” “children,” and “pediatric surgery.” The bibliometric evaluation was carried out using the Biblioshiny interface. Parameters such as publication years, keywords, countries, journals, and citations were analyzed.

Results: A total of 956 articles published between 1987 and 2025 included 8,624 authors. The United States was identified as the country with the highest number of publications. Journal of Pediatric Surgery was found to be the journal with the highest number of publications and citations. According to the Keywords Plus analysis, the most frequently used terms were “children” (n=413, 14%), “surgical site infection” (n=184, 6%), “surgery” (n=163, 5%), “complications” (n=162, 5%), and “risk factors” (n=144, 5%).

Conclusion: This study provides a structured and comprehensive overview of the scientific research on surgical site infections in pediatric surgery. The findings indicate that SSIs have been the focus of scientific investigation for many years and continue to hold clinical and academic importance today. However, in light of the gaps identified in the existing literature, the need for more comprehensive and in-depth studies is evident.

Keywords

• Bibliometric analysis
• child
• surgical site infection

Supporting Institution

The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.

Ethical Statement

This study does not require ethics committee approval as it is based solely on bibliometric data of publications in a specific database.

Pediatrik Cerrahide Cerrahi Alan Enfeksiyonları Üzerine Bibliyometrik Analiz

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, pediatrik cerrahi alanında cerrahi alan enfeksiyonu ile ilgili mevcut bilimsel literatürü bibliyometrik analiz yöntemiyle incelemektir. Bu kapsamda, alandaki yayın eğilimleri ve mevcut araştırma boşluklarının ortaya konulması hedeflenmiştir.

Yöntem: 8 Ekim 2025 tarihinde, Web of Science veri tabanında “surgical site infection”, “children” ve “pediatric surgery” gibi terimler kullanılarak yapılan tarama sonucunda 956 makale analize dahil edilmiştir. Bibliyometrik değerlendirmede Biblioshiny arayüzü kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Yayın yılları, anahtar kelimeler, ülkeler dergi ve atıflar analiz edilmiştir.

Bulgular: 1987–2025 yılları arasında yayımlanan 956 makalede toplam 8624 yazar yer almıştır. En fazla yayına sahip ülkenin Amerika Birleşik Devletleri olduğu belirlenmiştir. En fazla yayın ve atıf yapılan dergi Journal of Pediatric Surgery dergisidir. Keywords Plus analizine göre en sık kullanılan terimler “children” (n= 413, %14), “surgical site infection” (n = 184, %6), “surgery” (n = 163, %5), “complications” (n = 162, %5), and “risk factors” (n = 144, %5) olarak belirlenmiştir.

Sonuç: Çalışmada, pediatrik cerrahi alanında cerrahi alan enfeksiyonları üzerine yürütülen mevcut bilimsel çalışmalara ilişkin yapılandırılmış ve kapsamlı bir genel bakış sunmaktadır. Elde edilen bulgular, cerrahi alan enfeksiyonlarının uzun süredir bilimsel araştırmalara konu olduğunu ve günümüzde de klinik ve akademik açıdan önemini koruduğunu göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, mevcut literatürdeki boşluklar doğrultusunda daha kapsamlı ve derinlemesine çalışmaların gerekliliği ön plana çıkmaktadır.

Keywords

• Bibliyometrik analiz
• çocuk
• cerrahi alan enfeksiyonu

Supporting Institution

Yazarlar bu çalışmanın herhangi bir finansal destek almadığını beyan etmişlerdir.

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma, belirli bir veri tabanındaki yayınların bibliyometrik verilerine dayandığından etik kurul onayı gerektirmemektedir.

References

1. 1. Ralph N, Brown L, McKillop KL, et al. Oral nutritional supplements for preventing surgical site infections: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev. 2020;9(1):37.
2. 2. Goldberg L. Developing a surgical site infection prevention bundle for patients undergoing elective spine surgery. AORN J. 2020;112(2):158-164.
3. 3. Link T. Guidelines in practice: preoperative patient skin antisepsis. AORN J. 2022;115(2):156-166.
4. 4. NIHR Global Research Health Unit on Global Surgery. Reducing surgical site infections in low-income and middle-income countries (FALCON): a pragmatic, multicentre, stratified, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2021;398(10312):1687-1699.
5. 5. Weiser MR, Gonen M, Usiak S, et al; Memorial Sloan Kettering Multidisciplinary Surgical-Site Infection Reduction Team. Effectiveness of a multidisciplinary patient care bundle for reducing surgical-site infections. Br J Surg. 2018;105(12):1680-1687.
6. 6. Zingg W, Hopkins S, Gayet-Ageron A, et al. Health-care-associated infections in neonates, children, and adolescents: an analysis of paediatric data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control point-prevalence survey. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017;17(4):381-389.
7. 7. Kulaylat AN, Rocourt DV, Tsai AY, et al. Understanding readmissions in children undergoing surgery: a pediatric NSQIP analysis. J Pediatr Surg. 2018;53(7):1280-1287.
8. 8. World Health Organization. Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536404/.

9. 9. Toltzis P, O’Riordan M, Cunningham DJ, et al. A statewide collaborative to reduce pediatric surgical site infections. Pediatrics. 2014;134(4):e1174-e1180.
10. 10. Unal A, Teskereci G. Mapping the evidence-based practice research field in nursing from 1995 to 2021: a bibliometric analysis. Int J Nurs Knowl. 2022;33(3):196-206.
11. 11. Kantek F, Kurnaz H, Yeşilbaş H. Sağlık ve hemşirelik yönetimi dergisinin bibliyometrik analizi. Sağlık ve Hemşirelik Yönetimi Derg. 2019;6(3):228-237.
12. 12. Şenel E. The last three decades of contact dermatitis: a bibliometric analysis of global publications on contact dermatitis. J Dermatol Nurses Assoc. 2020;12(5):223-231.
13. 13. Yılmaz K. Sosyal bilimlerde ve eğitim bilimlerinde sistematik derleme, meta değerlendirme ve bibliyometrik analizler. MANAS Sos Araştırmalar Derg. 2021;10(2):1457-1490.
14. 14. Turhan Damar H, Öğce Aktaş F. Bibliometric analysis of studies on surgical site infections in nursing (2000-2022). Gevher Nesibe J Med Health Sci. 2022;7(20):111-120.
15. 15. Kolasiński W. Surgical site infections: review of current knowledge, methods of prevention. Pol Przegl Chir. 2018;91(4):41-47.
16. 16. Özkan E, Sürmeli Ş. Cerrahi alan enfeksiyonuna yönelik bibliyometrik analiz ve bilim haritalama: tanımlayıcı araştırma. Turkiye Klin J Nurs Sci. 2023;15(3).
17. 17. Zeng G, Wu Q. Global production of nursing research: a 10-year survey of subspecialty nursing journals. Int J Nurs Pract. 2022;28(1):e13027.
18. 18. Kokol P, Železnik D, Završnik J, Blažun Vošner H. Nursing research literature production in terms of the scope of country and health determinants: a bibliometric study. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2019;51(5):590-598.
19. 19. Singh R, Singla P, Chaudhary U. Surgical site infection: classification, risk factors, pathogenesis and preventive management. Int J Pharm Res Health Sci. 2014;2(3):203-214.
20. 20. Hameed S, Hafeez MU, Abdullah W, Faisal UA, Javed A, Iqbal MA. Assessment of surgical site infections in surgeries at tertiary care hospitals in Southern Punjab, Pakistan: a retrospective study. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol. 2025;32(4):665-673.