Zapping the ear to wake up the stomach after surgery

This study tested whether a gentle, non-invasive nerve stimulation applied to the ear during and after pancreas surgery could help prevent a common complication where the stomach takes too long to start working again. Researchers randomly assigned 84 patients about to undergo this major surgery to receive either the real stimulation or a sham (fake) treatment. The goal was to see if the stimulation could reduce the need for a feeding tube and help patients eat solid food sooner after their operation.