AIM  To explore research status, hotspots and trends in research on atrial fibrosis of atrial fibrillation in the recent 20 years.

  METHODS  The Web of Science core collection database was used as the data source and the visual analysis software CiteSpace was used to visualize the studies on atrial fibrosis of atrial fibrillation in the past 20 years. The authors, national/institutional distribution, journal distribution and related research were analyzed.

  RESULTS  Totally, 1 468 articles were obtained. The author with the highest number was Nattel S and the author with the highest co-cited frequency was Burstein B. The United States and China were the main countries in the field and Duisburg-Essen University and Harvard Medical School were important institutions for the study of atrial fibrosis in atrial fibrillation. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology was the most productive journal and Circulation was the most cited journal. The main research hotspots were: ①Heart failure/myocardial infarction combined with atrial fibrillation; ②Atrial fibrosis assessment in atrial fibrillation catheter ablation/matrix ablation; ③Inflammation and oxidative stress in atrial fibrillation research on the mechanism in the process of transformation. The frontier research directions were: ①Research on the prevalence, recurrence and mortality of patients with AF; ②Prevention of stroke in patients with AF; ③Research on the mechanisms of AF based on cardiac fibroblasts; ④Management of patients with atrial fibrillation; ⑤Assessing MRI assessment of the degree of atrial fibrosis.

  CONCLUSION  The study provides a perspective for understanding atrial fibrosis of atrial fibrillation and some valuable information for researchers to identify potential collaborators, partner institutions, hot topics and research frontiers.