a positive trendP < 0.0001
5 a); isolating the impact of EIT-guided PEEP from potential confounders by excluding studies with recruitment maneuver before PEEP trials still showed a positive trend (MD = 3.85, 95% CI [1.95, 5.75], P < 0.0001, and I 2 = 0%), thereby reinforcing the direct impact of EIT-guided PEEP on lung compliance (Fig. 5 b); and removing studies with significant positive treatment effects revealed that the overall positive trend was not driven solely by a few outlier studies, as the impact on lung compliance remained consistently positive and statistically significant (MD = 2.86, 95% CI [0.95, 4.78], P = 0.003, and I 2 = 0%) (Fig. 5 c).