Dexmedetomidine Sedation and Airway Collapsibility: Reply

We thank Drs. Zhu and Zhang¹  for their interest in our study comparing the effect of sedation with dexmedetomidine and propofol on upper airway collapsibility.²  We are also thankful for the opportunity to clarify facts regarding washout time between airway assessments during sedation with the two drugs.

It is true that without an adequate washout period, a sedative effect of the first drug could affect the result when evaluating the second drug in a crossover study. However, in our study, the time between testing airway collapsibility with the two drugs was 7 days or more. A residual effect of the first drug at the second airway assessment therefore seems very unlikely.

The authors declare no competing interests.