Mannitol and cardiac surgery.

Mannitol is widely used in all fields of medicine, due to its beneficial actions on the kidney and brain. Mannitol has been extensively used in cardiac surgery since its infancy, and remains in common usage to day. Mannitol is mainly used for its effects on the kidneys, but it has actions on the brain, lungs, heart, gastrointestinal tract and the red cell. Mannitol also has effects on free radicals and nitric oxide. As with virtually all treatments in medicine and surgery its use is not immune from side effects. The medical literature on mannitol over the past 30 years is considered.