Surgical buttress attachment assemblies for surgical stapling apparatus include a staple cartridge and a surgical buttress releasably secured to the staple cartridge. The staple cartridge includes buttress attachment features, such as posts, covers, and/or slots, and the surgical buttress are configured to engage the buttress attachment features of the staple cartridge.

A staple cartridge assembly for use with a surgical stapling instrument includes a staple cartridge including a plurality of staples and a cartridge deck. The staple cartridge assembly also includes a compressible adjunct positionable against the cartridge deck, wherein the staples are deployable into tissue captured against the compressible adjunct, and wherein the compressible adjunct comprises a first biocompatible layer comprising a first portion, a second biocompatible layer comprising a second portion, and crossed spacer fibers extending between the first portion and the second portion.

A loading unit includes a staple cartridge assembly, an anvil assembly, and an anvil hook assembly. The anvil assembly has an opening defined therethrough, and the anvil hook assembly includes an anvil hook disposed within the opening of the anvil assembly and a pivot pin extending through the anvil hook and the anvil assembly. The anvil hook is pivotable with respect to the anvil assembly about the pivot pin between a loading position and a loaded position. The loading unit may further include a surgical buttress assembly including a cartridge buttress releasably attached to the staple cartridge assembly, an anvil buttress releasably attachable to the anvil assembly by the anvil hook, and a connecting member interconnecting the cartridge and anvil buttresses.

Devices and methods are provided for stabilizing fasteners post-deployment. Devices and methods are also provided for facilitating ejection of surgical fasteners from a cartridge. Devices and methods are also provided for guiding surgical fasteners. Devices and methods are also provided for facilitating closing and clamping of an end effector of a surgical device. Devices and methods are also provided for securing fasteners and adjunct materials to tissue. Devices and methods are also provided for removably coupling a cartridge to an end effector of a surgical device. Devices and methods are also provided for locking a surgical device based on loading of a fastener cartridge in the surgical device. Devices and methods are provided for adjusting a tissue gap of an end effector of a surgical device. Devices and methods are also provided for manually retracting a drive shaft, drive beam, and associated components.

A surgical stapler can comprise an anvil comprising a staple pocket formed in a tissue contacting surface. The staple pocket can comprise a midline or centerline, a first forming cup, and a second forming cup. The first forming cup can comprise a first interior sidewall comprising a first vertical portion which is substantially perpendicular to the tissue contacting surface. The second forming cup can comprise a second interior sidewall comprising a second vertical portion which is substantially perpendicular to the tissue contacting surface. The first vertical portion and the second vertical portion can extend through the centerline, wherein the first interior sidewall and the second interior sidewall can comprise a trap for deforming a first staple leg of a staple to a first side of the centerline and for deforming a second staple leg of the staple to a second side of the centerline.

Stapling assemblies for use with a surgical stapler are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a stapling assembly can include a cartridge and a knitted adjunct that is configured to be releasably retained on the cartridge. The adjunct includes first fibers, second fibers, and spacer fibers, in which the first fibers and the spacer fibers are intertwined to form a top layer of the adjunct, the second fibers and the spacer fibers are intertwined to form a bottom layer of the adjunct, and the first fibers, the second fibers, and the spacer fibers are intertwined to form at least one finished edge extending between the top and bottom layers such that the at least one finished edge substantially prevents fraying.

A cartridge assembly for a surgical stapling device includes a staple cartridge that includes a staple array that has a configuration to minimize blood leakage through a staple line formed by the staple cartridge.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a surgical brace device for deployment across a line of stapled tissue of an organ comprises: a first splint member and a second splint member having a first end and a second end, and configured to be disposed on either side of the surgically stapled tissue; at least one strut member having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end of the strut member is fixedly joined with said first end of said first splint member and said second end of the strut member is fixedly joined with said first end of said second splint member and wherein said first splint member and said second splint member is dimensioned to span at least a portion of the width of said line of stapled tissue and a predetermined portion of said undisturbed tissue of said organ adjacent thereto; and a tie member configured to traverse the tissue of said organ disposed at a predetermined distance from said at least one strut member to interconnect and keep said first splint member and said second splint member from spreading and anchor said surgical brace device to said organ.

Staple cartridge assemblies for use with surgical stapling instruments and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. Scaffolds for use with a surgical staple cartridge and methods for manufacturing the same are also provided.

A loading unit for a surgical stapling apparatus includes an anvil assembly, a staple cartridge assembly, and a surgical buttress assembly associated with the anvil or the staple cartridge assembly. Each of the anvil and staple cartridge assemblies has a tissue facing surface defining a central longitudinal slot therethrough. The surgical buttress assembly includes a buttress material positioned on the tissue facing surface of the anvil or staple cartridge assembly and a buttress frame supporting the buttress material. The buttress frame is movable from an undeployed position in which the buttress frame retains the buttress material within the boundaries of the tissue facing surface of the anvil or staple cartridge assembly to a deployed position in which the buttress frame extends the buttress material laterally outwardly from the anvil or staple cartridge assembly.