Surgical staples underpin surgeries in every operating room in the country, and are, well, staples of the businesses of Ethicon Endo-Surgery and Covidien, which together control 95% of the US surgical staples market. But now, in colorectal, bariatric, and thoracic procedures, some of the most promising markets for surgical staples, a threat is entering from the wings. NiTi Surgical Solutions has begun selling an alternative to staples, with a platform that it calls BioDynamix Anastomosis Technology, by which it describes compression devices that adjust to an organ's diameter to promote healing that's as natural as possible.