The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of torasemide were evaluated after intravenous administration of the same total dose of torasemide at a dose of 1mg/kg to rabbits with different infusion times, 1 min (treatment I), 30 min (treatment II) and 2 h (treatment III). The loss of water and electrolytes in urine induced by torasemide was immediately replaced with infusion of an equal volume of lactated Ringer's solution. All the pharmacokinetic parameters of torasemide, such as total area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to time infinity (AUC), total body clearance (CL), apparent volume of distribution at steady state (Vss), terminal half-life and mean residence time (MRT), were independent of infusion times. However, the 8 h urine output (235, 534 and 808 ml) and 8 h urinary excretion of sodium (24.2, 80.1 and 89.2 mmol) and chloride (27.1, 89.2 and 94.0 mmol) were significantly greater in treatments II and III than those in treatment I, although the total 8 h urinary excretion of unchanged torasemide (1210, 1210 and 1310 microg) were not significantly different among the three treatments. This could be due to the higher diuretic efficiencies in treatments II and III.