A quick roundup of recent mergers and acquisitions involving some of surgery's biggest companies:

• BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) acquires C. R. Bard BD, which specializes in medication management and infection prevention, says the acquisition of Bard's peripherally inserted central catheters, midlines and drug-delivery ports will let it provide a more comprehensive approach to preventing surgical site infections and catheter-related bloodstream infections, as well as expanding its focus on treatments for peripheral vascular disease, urology, hernias and cancer. BD reportedly paid $24 billion in cash and stock.
• Cardinal Health acquires Medtronic's medical supplies unit In a $6.1 billion deal, Cardinal is acquiring Medtronic's patient care, deep vein thrombosis and nutritional insufficiency businesses as part of a package that encompasses 23 product categories and includes familiar brand names used in nearly every U.S. hospital, such as Curity, Kendall, Dover, Argyle and Kangaroo — makers of such products as syringes, catheters and bandages.
• Surgical Information Systems acquires SourceMed Surgical Information Systems, which provides perioperative IT products, has acquired leading ambulatory surgery center software developer SourceMed. The SIS product suite includes SIS hospital and Amkai ambulatory products. The combined companies will serve nearly 3,000 hospitals and ASCs, says SIS. No financial details were announced.

Jim Burger