Advancing Emergency Care: A 20-Year Bibliometric Analysis of Prehospital Airway Suction Research Ardian Jafar A. Hukum (a*), Sidik Awaludin (b)
a,b) Departement of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Jenderal Soedirman University, Indonesia
Abstract
Background: Prehospital airway suction is a critical intervention to ensure airway patency in emergency conditions, particularly in trauma, cardiac arrest, or airway obstruction. Despite its vital role, the scope of research focusing on its effectiveness, technology development, and associated clinical outcomes remains relatively underexplored compared to other airway management procedures.
Purpose: This study aims to systematically map the scientific landscape, research trends, and thematic structures related to prehospital airway suction using bibliometric analysis, identifying key clusters, gaps, and future directions for research.
Methods: A quantitative bibliometric approach was conducted using Publish or Perish software to collect data from Scopus and PubMed databases. The search used the keyword prehospital airway suction and included articles published between 2005 and 2025. VOSviewer software was utilized for data analysis, including co-occurrence analysis of terms in titles and abstracts, and visualizations in the form of network, overlay, and density maps.
Results: A total of 90 relevant articles were identified, with 71 (78.89%) directly discussing prehospital airway suction. The publication trend showed fluctuating growth, peaking in 2022 and increasing steadily through 2025. Five main clusters emerged: airway devices and preparation, healthcare providers and prehospital procedures, suction effectiveness and safety, advanced techniques such as SALAD, and clinical outcomes and evaluations. Newer research focused on suction innovation, portable devices, and simulation-based training. The most cited publication was Prekker et al. (2014), cited 79 times.
Conclusion: This study is the first bibliometric analysis focused on prehospital airway suction. The findings highlight a shift toward advanced suction methods and emphasize the need for standardized procedures, operator competence, and innovative technologies. Future research should explore specific populations, extreme emergency scenarios, and the impact of training interventions.
