can be changed as desired to other shapes e g circular ovular polygonal etc as described above variation of any attribute of the otc device 73 allows for adjustment of the compressive and reactive force constants thereof on the compressed tissue in the central region 77 fig8 illustrates a seventh exemplary embodiment of the otc staple 80 according to the invention this variation has some of the features of the above embodiments in this variant like the embodiment of fig3 the otc portion is symmetrical with respect to the bridge 81 and the legs 82 and the otc device 83 is a separate part from the bridge 81 and legs 82 of the staple 80 like the embodiment of fig4 to 7 the compressing portion 84 has a width greater than the separation distance of the two legs 82 and has ports 85 with a shape substantially corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the upper portion of the legs 82 but slightly larger the legs 82 pass through these ports 85 in this configuration movement of the otc device 83 out of the bridge legs plane is substantially prevented the extension 86 of the otc device 83 traverses from the bridge 81 to the compressing portion 84 because the ports 85 are shaped to be slightly larger than the cross section of the legs 82 the extension 86 acts as a compression spring in the bridge legs plane as the compressing portion 84 moves up and down along the upper portion of.