Since helium exposure elicits cardiac preconditioning by decreasing expression of the proinflammatory markers CD11b and ICAM-1 on leukocytes and attenuating the expression of the procoagulant markers CD42b and PSGL-1 on platelets (Lucchinetti et al., 2009), it is then a reasonable assumption that repetitive exposure to both hyperoxia and helium might modify IL-10 expression and/or the SIRS/CARS ratio as a result of those deep dives. Here, ITGAM is linked to systemic inflammatory response syndrome.