Abstract
According to the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) guidelines published by the American College of Surgeons-Committee on Trauma, an adjunct to the secondary survey in the assessment of a trauma patient is "tubes and fingers in every orifice,"(1) which allows for rapid evaluation of potential internal hemorrhage in the injured individual. One such tube is
the Levin nasogastric tube, commonly used in the preoperative assessment of the trauma patient, without compromising the oropharynx. The device also can be used in the postoperative period for gastrointestinal distention, which may result from paralytic ileus following abdominal surgery. The Levin tube is a ubiquitous device in modern hospitals; for instance, a 500-bed Level 1 Trauma Center used 14,200 Levin-type nasogastric tubes with Salem Sump adaptations in 2008, ranging from 10 Fr to 18 Fr.(2) But few who use this familiar, vitally important device know of its history, or its creator, Dr. Abraham Louis Levin of New Orleans (1880-1940) (Fig. 1). Indeed, his invention is typically misspelled as the "Levine" tube. Dr. Levin is also unrecognized for his other contributions to medical science and his crucial role during a transitional period in gastroenterology. This article will briefly review the life and career of Dr. Levin and the events leading to the invention of the Levin tube.