Internal Fixation Systems has entered into a distribution agreement with Intelligent Orthopaedics to market its Staffordshire Orthopaedic Reduction Machine, a reusable device that is used to align fractures of the tibia prior to fixation.

The spinal implant market in the United States is expected to reach $7 billion by 2018, according to a report from iData Research.

Alphatec Spine reported first quarter revenue of $48.5 million, slightly less than the same period last year.

Here are 20 orthopedic and spine device company leadership moves so far this year.

Young physicians graduating from orthopedic residency and fellowship programs have many challenges ahead. They graduate with heavy debt into an uncertain healthcare environment and are expected to develop a new practice often without business or financial planning experience. With the pressure of loan repayment coupled with the zest to practice their newly-acquired skills, many surgeons enter into an employment agreement hastily and find themselves dissatisfied within a few years. For surgeons finishing orthopedic residencies, approximately 70 to 80 percent leaves their first job within two years of practice, and the rates are similar among neurological surgeons. The same is true among sports medicine subspecialists as well.

Edward C. Sladek, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and former section chief of orthopedic surgery and chief of the department of surgery at Sparrow Hospital in East Lansing, Mich., was inducted into the Sparrow Physician Hall of Fame, according to a Lansing State Journal report.

Owosso, Mich.-based Mid Michigan Orthopedics has been acquired by Memorial Healthcare.

Here are 15 leadership moves within spine-focused device companies.

Minimally invasive spine device company NLT Spine has received the CE Mark of approval for its eSpin discectomy device.

OMNIlife science, a medical device company based in Massachusetts, recently received two patents related to the company's computer- and robotic-assisted surgery platform for knee procedures.