Global trends in surgical ethics research: a bibliometric analysis.

Advances in surgical technology have expanded diagnostic and treatment options; however, the increasing complexity of surgical procedures has also intensified ethical issues in surgical practice.This study aimed to evaluate the development and trends of publications in the field of surgical ethics and to synthesize the findings obtained.On August 12, 2025, a comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection using predefined keywords related to "surgical ethics" OR "surgical ethics" OR "operating room ethics" OR "operating room ethics" OR "surgical ethics" OR "surgical ethics" OR "operating room ethics" OR "operating room ethics" were used to conduct a comprehensive search without any time restrictions. A total of 217 publications were included. Bibliometric analysis was performed using the Bibliometrix-Biblioshiny package in R(version 4.2.2). The data were analyzed in terms of publication characteristics, keyword trends, and thematic structures. Studies on surgical ethics had an average publication age of less than 10 years, and a significant increase in publication volume was observed as of 2023. Citation rates accelerated significantly after 2020, reaching an average of 5.9 citations per document. Editorial materials accounted for 22.5% of all publications. The main research topics were bioethics, informed consent, and medical ethics.Surgical ethics is an emerging and growing field of research that has attracted increasing scientific interest in recent years. Despite this growth, the limited number of studies with high-level evidence remains a significant shortcoming. These findings provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the literature and highlight key areas for future research.