Helium Breathing Provides Modest Antiinflammatory, but No Endothelial Protection Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Humans In Vivo

Abstract

Although inhalation of helium diminished the postischemic inflammatory reaction, our data indicate that human endothelium, which is a component of all vital organs, is not amenable to protection by helium at 50 vol% in vivo. This is in contrast to sevoflurane, which protects human endothelium at low subanesthetic concentrations.