Scientific Mapping of Blood Incompatibility in Newborns: A 10-year Global Bibliometric Study

BACKGROUND: Blood Incompatibility is a major cause of neonatal hemolytic disease, with risks such as severe hyperbilirubinemia and kernicterus. Although rhesus incompatibility has decreased due to anti-D immunoprophylaxis, ABO incompatibility remains common. This study aims to analyze the scientific output on blood incompatibility in newborns published in the last 10 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive observational study was conducted using bibliometric analysis of original articles indexed in Scopus on blood incompatibility in newborns. The search used Medical Subject Headings terms in the title and abstract. Studies with a neonatal population were included, and reviews, letters, chapters, and errata were excluded. We analyzed 212 articles from 2015 to 2024. The data were analyzed with Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and SciVal to evaluate productivity, impact, collaboration, and co-occurrences. RESULTS: Iran led in productivity and impact, with authors such as Boscabadi Hassan and Zakerihamidi Maryam. The Mashhad University of Medical Sciences was the most productive (12 articles and 88 citations), and the University of Oxford had the highest average number of citations (8.3). The most productive journals were the American Journal of Perinatology and the Iranian Journal of Neonatology, while the BMC Pediatrics and the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine had the greatest impact. Keywords were grouped into three clusters: jaundice/phototherapy, hemolytic disease, and diagnosis (Coombs test). International collaboration was limited and focused on developed countries. CONCLUSION: Research on neonatal blood incompatibility is in its infancy and concentrated in Asia. International cooperation needs to be strengthened and clinically relevant lines of work prioritized to optimize diagnosis and management.