Abstract: Objective: To identify research hotspots on critical care in China from 2012 to 2016 in order to provide references for further research. Methods: The authors retrieved literature published between 2012 and 2016 from Wanfang Database and CNKI using selected medical subject headings (MeSH) terms. Bicomb and SPSS 23.00 were used to generate high-frequency MeSH terms and identify hotspots by Co-word analysis and cluster analysis. Results: Totally 5 hotspots of domain research were obtained, including studies on care bundles and evidence-based nursing; care of children in NICU; specialized training of ICU nurses; nutrition support; critical care quality improvement. Conclusion: The results of this study reflected hotspots in research on critical care in China, which provide references for further research.