What is the oral to intravenous to intrathecal pain medication ratio mentioned?

The oral to intravenous to intrathecal pain medication ratio provided in option B reflects a common conversion ratio used in pain management to account for the differences in bioavailability and potency of medications when administered via different routes.

In this context, medications taken orally (PO) typically require higher doses to achieve similar effects compared to those administered intravenously (IV) or intrathecally (IT). This is due to the first-pass metabolism that oral medications undergo in the liver, which significantly reduces their effectiveness. The conversion ratio indicated shows that while 300 mg of medication is needed orally, only 100 mg is required intravenously, and a very small dosage of 1 mg is necessary when given intrathecally. The intrathecal route is particularly potent, allowing for medication to act directly on the nervous system, thus requiring much lower doses.

The ratios in the other options do not accurately reflect these pharmacokinetic principles, as they suggest either too high a dosing requirement for the intravenous or intrathecal routes compared to oral, or they don’t respect the established conversion standards seen in clinical practice. Therefore, option B is correctly indicative of the expected medication ratios among the different administration routes based on their relative potencies and the effects of different routes on