In the June 2008 issue, an error was introduced into Drs Dehghani and Ludemann’s article “Aspirated foreign bodies in children: BC Children’s Hospital emergency room protocol” (BCMJ 2008;50:252-256). 

On pages 255–256, mention is made of three conditions (upper airway obstruction, bilateral foreign body aspiration, and clinically unstable children) under which bronchoscopy should not be considered. These conditions preclude the use of the BC Children’s Hospital Aspirated Foreign Body Protocol but are not contraindications to broncho­scopy in children. 

Certain conditions which preclude rigid laryngoscopy (such as cervical spine instability, man­dibular hypoplasia and macro­glossia or glossoptosis) would also preclude the use of this protocol; in such cases, flexible endoscopy and intubation and/or temporary tracheo­tomy or bronchotomy might be needed to facilitate diagnosis, patient ventilation, and airway foreign body removal.

We sincerely apologize to Drs Dehghani and Ludemann and to our readers for any confusion caused by this error.