Key result
ERAS research in elderly patients increasingly emphasizes functional outcomes, prehabilitation, and personalized management.
Why the study?
To analyze the research landscape and thematic evolution of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in elderly patients from 2009 to 2025 using bibliometric methods.
Bibliometric analysis shows ERAS research in elderly patients is increasingly focusing on functional outcomes, frailty, and prehabilitation.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant attention to prehabilitation and functional outcomes in elderly ERAS; leaves open validation in prospective trials.
AIMS: To analyze the research landscape and thematic evolution of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in elderly patients from 2009 to 2025 using bibliometric methods. METHODS: Publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, limited to English articles and reviews. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze annual publication trends, international and institutional collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst detection. RESULTS: A total of 773 publications were included. Annual publication output increased markedly after 2017. China (183 publications, 23.7%) and the United States (152 publications, 19.7%) were the leading contributors. Keyword clustering identified nine major thematic clusters (Q = 0.4617,S = 0.7527),with "lung neoplasms" and "esophagus resection" emerging as independent clusters. A sub-analysis revealed that 37 publications (4.8%) specifically addressed thoracic surgery, indicating that thoracic ERAS represents an emerging but still underdeveloped subfield within the overall ERAS research landscape. Among the top 20 high-frequency keywords, "aged" (519 occurrences, 67.1%) and "enhanced recovery after surgery" (504 occurrences, 65.2%) were the most prominent. Burst detection revealed 25 keywords with significant citation surges. Recent high-intensity bursts included "functional status" (strength = 7.18), "preoperative exercise" (strength = 6.28), and "physiotherapy" (strength = 5.38), indicating a shift toward functional recovery and prehabilitation. Major research themes focused on frail older populations, colorectal and oncologic surgical applications, perioperative analgesia, and prehabilitation strategies. Temporal overlay and burst analyses indicated sustained prominence of terms such as "functional status", "frailty", and "preoperative exercise". CONCLUSIONS: Research on ERAS in elderly patients has evolved into a multi-thematic knowledge structure with an increasing emphasis on functional outcomes and personalized perioperative management.
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Xiao et al. (2026) conducted a review in Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in elderly patients (n=773). Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) was evaluated on Research landscape and thematic evolution. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) research in elderly patients across 773 publications shows an increasing emphasis on functional outcomes, prehabilitation, and personalized management.
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