Scuba divers' pulmonary oedema: recurrences and fatalities.

Scuba divers' pulmonary oedema (SDPE) is an increasingly recognised disorder in divers. We report three fatal cases of SDPE, demonstrating its potential serious nature even in the absence of underlying cardiac disease demonstrable clinically or at autopsy. This, together with the frequency of recurrences, has implications on assessing fitness for subsequent diving, snorkelling and swimming. The differential diagnosis of this disorder is also considered, as is its possible inducement by salt water aspiration and its relationship to drowning.