In reviewing Medical Device Daily's top news stories and industry trends that emerged over the past year, it seems that 2014 was to the medical device industry what the popular Creole dish Jambalaya is to Louisiana — filling, flavorful, but perhaps just a bit too spicy for some taste buds. There were stories with meat, stories that added texture and stock, stories with spice, and stories that really stirred the pot. Some of the news MDD covered this year, like a certain $42.9 billion M&A and the industry's response to the Ebola outbreak, have already been brought to a boil, while trending stories like consolidation among orthopedic companies, continue to simmer.