Sunshine Heart solidifies CEO appointment; Cook Endoscopy names new president; and more personnel updates from around the industry.

According to a recent Medtech Insight report, the US market for ophthalmic surgical systems totaled almost $1.7 billion in 2013, and is expected to experience healthy – if moderate – growth over the next five years, reaching an estimated $2.26 billion by 2018.

Device companies finished 2013 strong, raising $1.2 billion in Q4, the highest quarter total of the year. CVS Caremark’s $2.1 billion buy of Apria’s infusion therapy business was the largest M&A of the year, and late-stage venture rounds dominated the $423 million total in diagnostics funding.

Despite contraction in the number of funds and VC firms investing in life sciences, 2013 was a strong year for private investing in medtech, with private investors putting $2.54 million into 129 medical device deals, according to Informa’s Strategic Transactions. Looking at where investors placed their money revealed some emerging trends.