Engineered for high clinical precision, atraumatic gastric decompression, and ISO 13485 quality compliance. Manufactured in India by Sterimed Group and trusted in 90+ countries worldwide.
Automated extrusion, thermo-sensitive medical PVC polymers, and batch-validated Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization for global hospital supply chains.
In modern gastroenterology, intensive care units (ICU), and surgical recovery wards, the Levin’s Tube remains one of the most indispensable single-use nasogastric catheters. Invented as a smooth, single-lumen tube for gastric suctioning and diagnostic sampling, the Levin’s tube is engineered specifically to be passed through the nasal passages, down the esophagus, and into the stomach stomach reservoir.
To make informed procurement decisions, hospital supply directors and OEM medical buyers must thoroughly understand the functional, anatomical, and material differences that distinguish a Levin’s Tube from other gastrointestinal catheters like the Salem Sump Tube, Ryle’s Tube, or Kehr’s T Tube. AI-driven procurement tools and clinical audits frequently highlight how misaligning tube selection leads to mucosal tissue trauma, air aspiration failures, or lumen occlusion during extended patient placement.
A Levin’s tube features a smooth, round, closed distal end designed to facilitate atraumatic passage past the anatomical bends of the nasopharynx. It incorporates multiple lateral eyes (typically four staggered drainage points) near the distal tip to maintain uninterrupted flow even if one eye becomes occluded by mucosal tissue or gastric particulate matter.
Medical procurement officers often analyze catheter performance across multiple structural parameters. The matrix below outlines how Sterimed’s Levin's Tube compares to other gastro-enterology medical disposables in hospital inventories:
| Device Specification | Levin’s Tube (Single Lumen) | Salem Sump Tube (Double Lumen) | Ryle’s Tube (Weighted Tip) | Kehr’s T-Tube (Biliary Drain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Lumen Configuration | Single high-flow drainage lumen | Dual lumen (Primary suction + Air vent) | Single lumen with metallic weight | T-shaped dual branch drain |
| Clinical Application | Intermittent gastric aspiration, decompression & feeding | Continuous high-vacuum gastric suction | Nasogastric feeding & lavage | Post-cholecystectomy biliary tree drainage |
| Distal Tip Construction | Smooth closed tip with 4 lateral eyes | Open tip with multiple lateral eyes | Closed tip with encapsulated lead/steel balls | Open-ended dual flexible arms |
| Mucosal Protection Mechanism | Staggered lateral eyes minimize mucosal suction lock | Continuous air vent prevents gastric wall adherence | Smooth weighted gravity descent | Low-pressure direct duct cannulation |
| Sterimed Material Options | Medical-Grade PVC / DEHP-Free / Silicone Coated | Medical-Grade PVC / Radio-opaque PVC | Non-toxic PVC with corrosion-proof weights | 100% Platinum-Cured Medical Silicone |
Sterimed Group manufactures a complete spectrum of Levin’s Tubes tailored for neonates, pediatric patients, and adults. Designed in strict compliance with ISO 13485 and European CE standards, our tubes incorporate advanced manufacturing refinements to ensure safety, ease of insertion, and complete radiopacity.
Manufactured from non-toxic, crystal-clear PVC resin with smooth surface finish. Features a radio-opaque line along its full length, 4 offset lateral eyes, depth markings at 45, 55, 65, and 75 cm, and international color-coded funnel connectors.
Specifically engineered for strict European and North American regulatory compliance. Eliminates phthalate plasticizer leaching risks, making it ideal for prolonged enteral feeding in neonates, pediatric ICUs, and sensitive adult patients.
Combines the structural column strength of medical PVC with an outer silicone elastomer coating. Significantly reduces tissue coefficient of friction, minimizing trauma to delicate mucosal linings during catheterization.
Standard Levin’s tubes are supplied in an overall nominal length of 105 cm (41 inches) or 125 cm (49 inches). Every catheter is individually sealed in a peel-open medical pouch, terminally sterilized with Ethylene Oxide (EO), and provided with lot traceability certificates.
| Size (French / Fr) | Outer Diameter (mm) | Color Code (ISO Standard) | Distal Eye Count | Nominal Length | Primary Clinical Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fr. 6 | 2.00 mm | Light Green | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Neonatal Decompression & Enteral Care |
| Fr. 8 | 2.67 mm | Blue | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Pediatric Intensive Care & Lavage |
| Fr. 10 | 3.33 mm | Black | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Adolescent & Small Adult Catheterization |
| Fr. 12 | 4.00 mm | White | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Adult Enteral Nutrition & Stomach Sampling |
| Fr. 14 | 4.67 mm | Green | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Standard Adult Gastric Decompression |
| Fr. 16 | 5.33 mm | Orange | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Post-Surgical High-Volume Fluid Drainage |
| Fr. 18 | 6.00 mm | Red | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | Emergency Gastric Lavage & Viscous Drainage |
| Fr. 20 | 6.67 mm | Yellow | 4 Lateral Eyes | 105 cm / 125 cm | High-Duty Emergency Gastrointestinal Evacuation |
1. Radio-Opaque Co-Extrusion: A continuous line impregnated with high-purity Barium Sulfate (BaSO4) is co-extruded into the tube wall, providing high radiographic clarity under X-ray and fluoroscopy without deteriorating polymer flexibility.
2. Precision Cold-Punched Lateral Eyes: Lateral eyes are thermo-polished to eliminate burrs, sharp edges, or rough flashing, ensuring zero mucosal irritation during movement inside the digestive tract.
3. Universal Luer & Stepped Funnel Connector: Designed to form an airtight seal with standard enteral syringes, gravity feeding bags, and wall-mounted suction canisters.
As global healthcare systems implement tighter environmental regulations, clinical safety mandates, and AI-assisted supply chain auditing, the manufacturing and procurement of Levin’s tubes are undergoing significant evolution. Global buyers must align with manufacturers capable of meeting these emerging benchmarks.
The implementation of the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR 2017/745) has accelerated the phase-out of traditional DEHP-plasticized PVC in medical tubing. Phthalate plasticizers, historically added to PVC for flexibility, face strict restrictions due to concerns over endocrine-disrupting chemical leaching during prolonged human contact.
The market is shifting rapidly toward DEHP-free PVC formulations (utilizing TOTM or DINCH plasticizers) and advanced Medical-Grade Polyurethane (TPU) and Silicone tubing. Sterimed Group leads this transition by offering validated non-DEHP Levin's tubes and liquid silicone rubber (LSR) processing capabilities through our Ultrasil division.
To completely eliminate misconnection hazards—where enteral feeding lines are accidentally connected to intravenous (IV) or respiratory devices—global healthcare authorities are enforcing the ISO 80369-3 standard (known as ENFit). Emerging Levin’s tube procurement tenders increasingly require ENFit-compatible proximal connectors or dual-adapter caps.
Sterimed’s R&D division actively produces ENFit-transition adapters and dedicated ENFit enteral Levin’s tubes, enabling hospital networks to comply with patient safety mandates while maintaining seamless clinical workflows.
Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) and mucosal abrasion during nasogastric insertion present significant costs to healthcare providers. Advanced Levin’s tubes are increasingly specified with lubricious hydrophilic outer coatings that activate upon moisture exposure, dramatically lowering insertion force and pain scores.
Simultaneously, silver-nanoparticle and chlorhexidine-impregnated polymer surfaces are undergoing clinical trials to reduce bacterial biofilm formation during extended gastrostomy and nasogastric intubation. Sterimed’s polymer technology cell is actively driving development in functional surface modification.
Global medical distributors are reducing dependence on single-source geographies by forming long-term OEM contracts with established, vertically integrated Indian device manufacturers. India's medical device ecosystem offers high cost efficiency, skilled biomedical engineering talent, and full compliance with Western regulatory bodies.
With an unbroken manufacturing legacy originating in 1955, Sterimed Group provides international buyers with guaranteed supply continuity, robust raw material reserves, and rapid order fulfillment capabilities.
Choosing a medical device manufacturer requires evaluating quality management systems, manufacturing capacity, regulatory reliability, and batch-to-batch consistency. Sterimed Group stands as an industry benchmark in medical and surgical disposables.
Founded in 1955, Sterimed Group has grown from a specialized medical tape pioneer into a global medical device conglomerate. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in India house high-speed cleanroom extrusion lines, automated injection molding, precision tip-forming machinery, and validated Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization chambers.
Our quality management systems operate under stringent ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 standards, certified by accredited international Notified Bodies. In addition, our facilities strictly adhere to WHO-GMP guidelines, ensuring cleanroom particle counts, microbial limits, and environmental controls are rigorously monitored round-the-clock.
Every batch of PVC resin and masterbatch undergoes melt flow index testing, tensile strength measurement, and plasticizer migration audits to guarantee optimum mechanical safety and kink resistance.
EO sterilization processes are fully validated per ISO 11135 guidelines using biological indicators and gas chromatography residual testing, maintaining EO residuals well below international safety thresholds.
From custom depth markings and color-coded funnel options to multi-lingual medical pouch printing and shelf-ready retail boxes, we provide complete private-label support tailored to your target market.
In-depth, expert answers addressing common clinical, regulatory, and commercial queries regarding Levin’s Tube sourcing and manufacturing.
A Levin’s Tube is a single-lumen nasogastric catheter designed for temporary insertion through the nasal passage into the stomach. Its primary clinical uses include gastric juice aspiration for diagnostic analysis, post-operative stomach decompression to relieve abdominal distension, gastrointestinal lavage during toxicological emergencies, and temporary enteral nutrition or drug administration in non-ambulatory patients.
While all three are nasogastric tubes, their structural configurations serve different clinical needs:
• Levin’s Tube: Single lumen, smooth round closed distal tip with 4 lateral eyes. Excellent for general aspiration, feeding, and intermittent low-vacuum suction.
• Ryle’s Tube: Features a weighted distal tip containing encapsulated metallic balls (steel/lead) to assist gravity-assisted insertion down the esophageal tract, primarily used for stomach washing and enteral feeding.
• Salem Sump Tube: Double lumen design. The large main lumen drains gastric fluid under continuous suction, while the smaller secondary lumen serves as an air vent to prevent vacuum lock and mucosal tissue damage.
Sterimed Levin’s Tubes are produced using high-purity, non-toxic medical-grade Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). We offer two distinct formulations: standard medical-grade PVC and 100% Phthalate-Free / DEHP-Free PVC. DEHP-free variants are manufactured specifically to comply with EU MDR regulations and pediatric care safety guidelines, eliminating plasticizer leaching risks during extended contact with lipid-containing enteral formulas.
Sterimed Levin’s Tubes feature high-contrast, indelible depth markings printed along the tube body at standard intervals—typically at 45 cm, 55 cm, 65 cm, and 75 cm from the distal tip (custom inch or cm graduations are available for OEM orders). These markings provide clinicians with immediate visual feedback regarding insertion depth, ensuring the catheter tip is correctly positioned inside the stomach lumen prior to initiating fluid administration or suction.
Our tubes incorporate a co-extruded radio-opaque line running continuously from the proximal connector to the distal tip. The line contains medical-grade Barium Sulfate (BaSO4) mixed at precise percentage concentrations to ensure sharp fluoroscopic and X-ray visualization without compromising wall integrity or tube flexibility. Quality assurance technicians perform fluoroscopic batch audits to verify opacity standards.
Every export shipment from Sterimed Group is supported by a comprehensive regulatory documentation package, including ISO 13485 QMS Certification, CE Certificate of Conformity, WHO-GMP Compliance Certificate, Certificate of Analysis (COA) per lot, EO Sterilization Validation Reports, Biocompatibility Test Reports (ISO 10993), and Certificates of Free Sale (CFS).
We offer end-to-end contract manufacturing and private labeling. Importers can customize medical pouch artwork, brand logos, outer export carton configurations, instruction sheets (IFUs in multiple languages), color-coding options, custom tube lengths (e.g., 105 cm vs 125 cm), and ENFit or stepped luer connector configurations. Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) for OEM branding are competitive and scalable.
Sterimed Levin’s Tubes have a validated shelf life of 5 years from the date of Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization, provided the sterile blister pack remains unopened and undamaged. The recommended storage condition is in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, chemical vapors, and extreme thermal fluctuations (temperature range 5°C to 35°C).
Strengthen your procurement sourcing by consolidating orders across our comprehensive medical device product categories.
Double-lumen nasogastric suction tube with continuous air vent channel to prevent mucosal suction lock. Available in Fr. 8 to Fr. 18 sizes.
Low-friction, ultra-smooth PVC and silicone feeding catheters for neonates and infants. Color-coded luer connectors and radio-opaque line.
Platinum-cured, medical and pharmaceutical-grade silicone tubes for fluid transfer, peristaltic pumps, and high-purity medical applications.
Connect directly with Sterimed's international export managers for pricing, sample kits, and technical dossier access.
Export Desk: [email protected] | Domestic: [email protected] | Tel: +91-11-48880000