The relationship between the ingestion of hot coffee and intraoesophageal temperature.

Temperatures at the lower end of the oesophagus were taken during the ingestion of hot coffee at varying temperatures and varying volume, by using a modified duodenal tube. TEMPERATURES HIGHER THAN EXPECTED WERE FOUND: of 209 measurements on 17 patients and one volunteer, standardized for size of sip and temperature of coffee, 43% were 44 degrees C or higher (up to 53 degrees C). Statistical analysis showed a linear relationship between the intraoesophageal and the initial coffee temperatures.Volume has a larger effect than the temperature at which the coffee is taken.The average increase in intraoesophageal temperatures at the point of measurement was 0.381 degrees C per ml coffee ingested. Some implications of the findings are discussed from the epidemiological point of view.