The topics of international publications on paediatric anaesthesia from 1993 to 1998

A comprehensive compilation of the current international literature on paediatric anaesthesia is still lacking. It was the aim of this study to identify all publications with a focus on paediatric anaesthesia, and to determine the spectrum of topics, as well as the publication type and language for the period between 1993 and 1998. All articles published in 12 major anaesthesia journals were evaluated and, additionally, a computerized, Internet-based Medline-search was performed using selected keywords. The analysis was limited to original articles, case reports, reviews and editorials. For the period between 1993 and 1998, a total of 2259 (377 per year) publications on paediatric anaesthesia were identified in 295 different journals, the majority of which were on the topic of 'providing anaesthesia' in children (n = 1424, 63.0%). In contrast, publications on, for example, 'postanaesthesia care' (6.3%), and 'organizational aspects of paediatric anaesthesia' (2.2%) were rare. Most articles were written in English (85.1%), and more than 50% reported original data (57.1%). Our results suggest that several topics may be of interest for future research and communication in the field of paediatric anaesthesia and new results should be published in English to reach a large international readership.