Staple and Driver for Tendon Stapling Apparatus

A surgical stapling assembly for fixation of an augmentation sheet in tendon tissue repair comprising:

• a driver having an exterior housing, the driver having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the driver including a trocar piercing tip and a drive anvil longitudinally extending within the housing, wherein the trocar piercing tip extends distally beyond the drive anvil;
• a staple having a pair of opposing legs with compression flanges projecting from a first end of the staple and a bridging portion between the opposing legs at a second end of the staple, the bridging portion having a “U” shaped inner surface and an outer pointed surface that terminates in a tip, wherein in a loaded configuration, the drive anvil is positioned within the “U” shaped inner surface of the bridging portion of the staple and the opposing legs of the staple extend from the bridging portion around the drive anvil and are adapted for disposition within the tendon tissue;
• and
• a retractable sleeve slidably disposed over the exterior housing of the driver and the staple;
• wherein the retractable sleeve is movable between a first position in which the retractable sleeve covers the trocar piercing tip and the staple, and a second position in which the retractable sleeve retracts proximally to expose the trocar piercing tip and permit deployment of the staple through the augmentation sheet to a predetermined position within the tendon tissue.