[Osmotic serum pressure in patients treated with furosemide and hypertonic mannitol solution]

In patients with expanding intracranial lesion syndrome osmotic pressure of the serum was measured during administration of furosemide or 20% mannitol solution. Mannitol was administered by two methods: a) a dose of 1.5 g/kg during 3--4 hours, b) a dose of 1 g/kg for about 20 min. When mannitol was administered slowly the osmotic pressure of the serum at the end of infusion was 11--15% above the initial one and returned to the initial level 30--60 min. after the end of infusion. With rapid infusion the peak rise of pressure was observed after 30 min. usually after the end of infusion, and after one hour the pressure returned to values approaching the initial ones. Furosemide in a dose of 40 mg intramuscularly or intravenously caused slight changes of osmotic pressure reaching 13 mOsm/l.