A malleable, bioabsorbable polymeric staple includes aback span with two legs depending perpendicularlytherefrom that are deformed toward each other initiallyand then upwardly toward the back span such that endpoints on each leg extends to the side and past theback span. The staple has a noncircular cross-sectional shape. A surgical staple-deforming anvil fordeforming the staples has a staple-receiving faceformed with a pair of elongated, non-collinear pocket-like depressions each having an entry end lying on alongitudinal axis parallel to the back span of thestaple, and an exit end. The respective exit ends ofthe pocket depressions are located on opposite sides ofthe longitudinal axis. Accordingly, the legs of astaple driven toward the anvil and received in thepocket depressions are initially bent toward each otherand then steered upwardly toward opposite sides of theback span.
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