Dr. Emerson Perin, director of the Texas Heart Institute (THI) Stem Cell Center and of Clinical Research for Cardiovascular Medicine, has been named a McNair Scholar at THI.

Results from a multinational clinical trial found that while the antihyperglycemic drug saxagliptin met the FDA’s cardiovascular safety standards, it offered no cardiovascular protection and unexpectedly increased the risk of hospitalization for heart failure among diabetics at high risk for heart disease. These findings were presented Sept. 2 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

AQUARIUS, a randomized trial designed to assess aliskiren’s ability to slow or prevent the progression of coronary atherosclerosis, didn’t provide evidence to support its use in that context. Results presented Sept. 2 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and simultaneously published online in JAMA highlighted opportunities for further research.

GoDanRiver.com of Danville, Va., reported that a cardiovascular surgeon at Danville Regional Medical Center died in a plane crash Aug. 29.

The greatest risk of major adverse cardiac events from stopping dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after PCI occurred in patients who became noncompliant with their medications or who stopped because of bleeding. These findings from an international cohort study were presented Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and published online in The Lancet.

Colchicine may not be just for gout anymore. In a study based out of Italy, researchers found that the drug, when used in conjunction with anti-inflammatory medications, reduced the rate of recurrent pericarditis in patients who suffered an initial acute episode. The drug, however, is not approved for this use in North American or Europe. The findings were presented Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

In a randomized, double-blind international study, edoxaban, a factor Xa inhibitor, was found to be comparable to warfarin in  efficacy in patients with acute venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism or both. The findings were presented Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine. 

Aspirating thrombi before PCI in patients with STEMI offered no 30-day survival advantage over PCI alone, according to the results of a multicenter Swedish trial. Researchers presented their data Sept. 1 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam and the results were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine.