Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) Practice Exam

What is a common method of drug delivery that bypasses the digestive tract entirely?

1. Enteral

2. Inhalation

3. Topical

4. Parenteral

The correct answer is: Parenteral

The most common method of drug delivery that bypasses the digestive tract entirely is parenteral administration. Parenteral routes involve delivering medication directly into the body, typically through injections (such as intravenous, intramuscular, or subcutaneous routes). This method allows for immediate absorption into the bloodstream, avoiding the digestive system altogether and ensuring that the drug can take effect more rapidly and efficiently. In contrast to parenteral methods, enteral routes, such as oral administration, require medications to pass through the gastrointestinal system before reaching systemic circulation. Inhalation provides a route for drugs to enter through the lungs, which does avoid the digestive tract, but it is not as widely categorized as bypassing the digestive system in the same sense as injections. Topical administration applies drugs directly to the skin or mucous membranes, which also does not involve the digestive system, but it is primarily used for localized effects rather than systemic delivery. Thus, parenteral administration is uniquely positioned as a method that completely bypasses the digestive tract, ensuring that the effectiveness of the medication is maximized without undergoing the complexities of the gastrointestinal absorption process.