Abstract
BACKGROUND: The accessibility of digital information has expanded orthopaedic surgery with expanded role of Big Databases. The increasing interest have led to creation of large databases with increasing utilization in retrospective studies. The aim of this study is to identify Big Database research and predict future hotspots. METHODS: Big Database publications between 1982 and 2022 were identified from the Web of Science Core Collection of Clarivate Analytics. Bibliometric indicators were obtained and imported for further analysis with VOSviewer and Bibliometrix to identify previous and ongoing trends within this field. RESULTS: Bibliometric sourcing identified 811 total articles that was associated with major databases. Twenty-eight countries published manuscript in the field with the United States as the largest contributor. The most relevant institutions were Cleveland Clinic and Harvard University. Mont MA was the most productive and influential author. Co-occurrence visualization and thematic map identified niche and major themes within the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Large Database research continue to show an increasing trend since 2011 with contributions globally. United States institutions and authors are the leading contributors in big database research. This study identifies previous, current, and developing trends within this field for future hotspot development.