Pilot Study: Anti-inflammatory Effect of Peroperative Stimulation of the Vagus Nerve

Hypothesis: Electrical stimulation of the abdominal vagus nerve has an anti-inflammatory effect and represents a new therapeutic approach to shorten postoperative ileus. Aims: In the present pilot study, the investigators want to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of peroperative electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve. To this end, the following aims are formulated: 1. to optimize the technique of intra-operative electrical vagus nerve stimulation 2. to show that electrical stimulation of the intra-abdominal vagus nerve reduces the inflammatory response to abdominal surgery 3. to evaluate whether electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve leads to clinical improvement (collect pilot data)