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Was COVID-19 Pandemic Blessing or Curse for TMR/RPNI Literature?
Gunel Guliyeva, M.D, Edwin Ojiako, MD, Hassan ElHawary, M.D, M.Sc, Jeffrey E. Janis, M.D.
The Ohio State University
2024-02-01
Presenter: Gunel Guliyeva, M.D
Affidavit:
Jeffrey Janis, MD
Director Name: Jeffrey Janis, MD
Author Category: Other Specialty Resident
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Background
COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered medical practice and patient care, which has been widely described and studied. However, the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on novel techniques, such as Targeted Muscle Innervation (TMR) and Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface (RPNI) literature has been overlooked. TMR/RPNI aimed at improving patient outcomes post-amputation, have already gained considerable attention in the field of Plastic Surgery. To determine the pandemic's impact on the literature surrounding these innovative techniques, we conducted bibliometric analysis of TMR/RPNI literature.
Materials and Methods
A systematic search of the PubMed/Medline database was conducted, which identified 1030 articles. Journal Impact Factors (IF), author genders, and the number of citations were collected.
Results
Approximately 68% of 212 articles were on TMR. The first and second TMR periods were characterized by a low rate of publications (1-3/year) and international papers. The COVID-19 period was significant for proliferation of descriptive research, such as case reports and reviews.. Most of this research was published in the USA (~75-85%) and Austria (~8-9%), implying presence of biggest centers in these countries.
Except first authorship for TMR literature (TMR: first 30.4% from 46.6%, senior 17.7% from 6.6%) (RPNI: first 31.37% from 19.23% and senior 41.18% from 26.92%), all female authorship rose steadily. Having a male senior author increased the likelihood of having male first authorship in RPNI literature (OR, 21.4 P=.0005).
Conclusion
There was a stark increase in the number of publications and female authorship during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a shift towards desk-based research was also observed.
