EIT- Guided Lung Recruitment in pARDS

Study Title: EIT-Guided Lung Recruitment Maneuvers in Pediatric ARDS: Effects on Ventilation Distribution and Respiratory Mechanics Study Objective: The primary goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether lung recruitment maneuvers guided by Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) result in a more homogeneous ventilation distribution and less injurious ventilation in children with pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (pARDS). The study will assess changes in intrapulmonary gas distribution and respiratory mechanics during recruitment maneuvers using both EIT and partitioned respiratory mechanics. This is a prospective cohort study involving children diagnosed with pARDS. Eligible participants will be consecutively enrolled over time and will undergo a standardized series of staircase lung recruitment maneuvers under continuous EIT monitoring. The final mechanical ventilation (MV) settings will be individualized and titrated based on the EIT-derived response to recruitment. Main Research Questions: How can lung recruitment maneuvers be performed safely in children with pARDS? How can we monitor the physiological effects of recruitment on respiratory mechanics? How does recruitment influence the distribution of ventilation within the lungs? Eligible participants will undergo a series of staircase lung recruitment maneuvers under continuous EIT monitoring. The final mechanical ventilation (MV) settings will be titrated and individualized based on the EIT-derived response to recruitment.