Final answer:
Endotracheal drug dosages are typically higher than intravenous dosages due to the administration method, which requires overcoming lung tissue barriers to be effective.
Step-by-step explanation:
The dosages of medications administered endotracheally are generally higher than doses given intravenously. This is because endotracheal administration involves delivering medication directly into the trachea, usually during emergency situations when intravenous access is not available or feasible. The medications must penetrate the lung tissue and enter the bloodstream to be effective, which often requires larger doses to overcome the loss of drug efficacy due to dilution in the airways and adsorption into the lung tissue.