A bibliometric analysis of artificial intelligence research in critical illness: a quantitative approach and visualization study

Background Critical illness medicine faces challenges such as high data complexity, large individual differences, and rapid changes in conditions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, especially machine learning and deep learning, offers new possibilities for addressing these issues. By analyzing large amounts of patient data, AI can help identify diseases earlier, predict disease progression, and support clinical decision-making. Methods In this study, scientific literature databases such as Web of Science were searched, and bibliometric methods along with visualization tools R-bibliometrix, VOSviewer 1.6.19, and CiteSpace 6.2.R4 were used to perform a visual analysis of the retrieved data. Results This study analyzed 900 articles from 6,653 authors in 82 countries between 2005 and 2024. The United States is a major contributor in this field, with Harvard University having the highest betweenness centrality. Noseworthy PA is a core author in this field, and Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine and Diagnostics lead other journals in terms of the number of publications. Artificial Intelligence has tremendous potential in the identification and management of heart failure and sepsis. Conclusion The application of AI in critical illness holds great potential, particularly in enhancing diagnostic accuracy, personalized treatment, and clinical decision support. However, to achieve widespread application of AI technology in clinical practice, challenges such as data privacy, model interpretability, and ethical issues need to be addressed. Future research should focus on the transparency, interpretability, and clinical validation of AI models to ensure their effectiveness and safety in critical illness.