Tag Archive for: Cardiac rehabilitation

Research Article | Vol 6 | Issue 1 |  January-June 2026 | page: 14-21 | Na Chen

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13107/jrs.2026.v06.i01.193

Open Access License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2026; The Author(s).

Submitted Date: 25 Mar 2026, Review Date: 02 April 2026, Accepted Date: May 2026 & Published: 30 June 2026

Author: Na Chen [1]

[1] Department of Internal Medicine, Peking University Hospital, Beijing, China
.

Address of Correspondence
Dr. Na Chen,
Department of Internal Medicine, Peking University Hospital, Beijing, China.
E-mail: CN09558@pku.edu.cn

Abstract

Purpose: Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a leading cause of global mortality, and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a core component of secondary prevention to improve patient outcomes. This study employed bibliometric methods to visually analyze the research status, hotspots, and evolutionary trends in CHD CR over the past 26 years, providing references for future research directions.
Methods: Using the Web of Science Core Collection as the data source, we searched for literature on CHD CR with the query: TS = ([“Coronary Heart Disease” OR “CHD”] AND (“Cardiac Rehabilitation” OR “CR”]) covering the period from 1999 to August 2025. After excluding non-English studies, conference proceedings, retracted publications, and book chapters, 1,885 valid articles were included. Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace to explore publication trends, contributions of countries, institutions, authors, and journals, as well as keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst dynamics.
Results: A total of 1,885 articles were published by 8,492 authors from 2,767 institutions across 82 countries, in 531 journals, with 53,513 citations from 11,695 sources. The annual publication volume showed a steady upward trend, increasing from ≤60 articles in the early 2000s to over 100 articles annually after 2017. The top three countries in terms of publication quantity were the USA (484 articles), the United Kingdom (293 articles), and China (277 articles); Canada had the highest average citation frequency (72.1 citations/article). The most productive institutions were the University of Sydney (62 articles) and the University of Queensland (45 articles). The leading authors were Lavie, Carl J. (36 articles) and Taylor, Rod S. (27 articles, with an average citation frequency of 173.9). The journal with the most publications was Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention (113 articles), while HEART had the highest average citation frequency (82.1). High-frequency keywords included “coronary heart disease” (1,208 times), “cardiac rehabilitation” (1,106 times), and “secondary prevention” (443 times); keywords with high centrality were “coronary heart disease” (0.13) and “quality of life” (0.10). Keyword clustering identified six research hotspots: myocardial infarction, congenital heart disease, physical activity, risk factors, health, and quality of life. Recent burst keywords (2020–2025) included “percutaneous coronary intervention”, “systematic review”, “mobile health”, and “European Society”.
Conclusion: CHD CR research has shown continuous growth, with the USA and European countries leading in academic influence. Current research focuses on exercise-based rehabilitation, secondary prevention, and quality of life improvement; future directions may emphasize personalized rehabilitation programs, digital health applications, and long-term efficacy of rehabilitation after percutaneous coronary intervention.
Keywords: Coronary heart disease, Cardiac rehabilitation, Bibliometrics, VOSviewer, CiteSpace

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