Choking after Inhaling a foreign body through a Ventolin puffer

To the Editor: I read Mackay's letter regarding inhaling a cigarette butt through an uncapped Ventolin inhaler, and his warning that puffers should be left capped to prevent foreign bodies entering and sitting in them unnoticed.' I present an opposite, but apposite, warning. On two separate occasions several weeks apart, about three years ago, I woke during the night needing Ventolin. I reached to the bedside table, shook the puffer, put it in my mouth and inhaled deeply. The Ventolin cap lodged neatly at the back of my throat so neatly it appears to have been designed with a male larynx in mind. Only after a long bout of coughing, wheezing and nearchoking did I manage to remove the cap with my fingers . I finally learnt to keep the cap off. I now inhale only five-cent pieces, which are easier to remove.