During iontophoresis, which combination of medications and ion charges is described?

During iontophoresis, which combination of medications and ion charges is described?

• A. Dexamethasone negative ion, acetate negative ion, hydrocortisone positive ion, lidocaine positive ion.
• B. Only lidocaine, regardless of ion charge.
• C. Dexamethasone positive ion, acetate positive ion.
• D. Hydrocortisone negative ion, ibuprofen positive ion.

Answer: (A)

Iontophoresis moves charged drug ions into tissue using an electric current, so the direction a drug travels depends on its charge: positive ions migrate toward the negatively charged electrode (cathode) and negative ions migrate toward the positively charged electrode (anode). Because you can deliver more than one drug at once by using both electrodes, you can have a mix of positive and negative ions in the same treatment, with each polarity delivered from its respective electrode. In this combination, two drugs are described as negative ions (dexamethasone and acetate) and two as positive ions (hydrocortisone and lidocaine). This illustrates simultaneous delivery of both polarities: the negative ions would migrate toward the anode to enter the tissue there, while the positive ions would migrate toward the cathode to enter the tissue from that side. This aligns with how iontophoresis can be used to deliver multiple medications that have different charges. The other options are less representative: one mentions only lidocaine regardless of charge, which doesn’t reflect the practice of delivering with multiple charges; another uses only one polarity, implying a single-drug, single-charge scenario; while the remaining choice describes a mix that does not match the specific described four-drug combination.

Iontophoresis moves charged drug ions into tissue using an electric current, so the direction a drug travels depends on its charge: positive ions migrate toward the negatively charged electrode (cathode) and negative ions migrate toward the positively charged electrode (anode). Because you can deliver more than one drug at once by using both electrodes, you can have a mix of positive and negative ions in the same treatment, with each polarity delivered from its respective electrode.

In this combination, two drugs are described as negative ions (dexamethasone and acetate) and two as positive ions (hydrocortisone and lidocaine). This illustrates simultaneous delivery of both polarities: the negative ions would migrate toward the anode to enter the tissue there, while the positive ions would migrate toward the cathode to enter the tissue from that side. This aligns with how iontophoresis can be used to deliver multiple medications that have different charges.

The other options are less representative: one mentions only lidocaine regardless of charge, which doesn’t reflect the practice of delivering with multiple charges; another uses only one polarity, implying a single-drug, single-charge scenario; while the remaining choice describes a mix that does not match the specific described four-drug combination.