Surgical stapling apparatus

1. A surgical apparatus of the type including a handle assembly operable with a drive assembly to eject at least one staple from the surgical apparatus, the surgical apparatus comprising:

a cartridge assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot;

an anvil assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot; and

a surgical buttress releasably secured to at least one of the tissue contacting surface of the cartridge assembly and the tissue contacting surface of the anvil assembly by at least one anchor, and

an axial drive assembly movable for firing surgical staples from the cartridge assembly, wherein the axial drive assembly has a central knife blade slidably disposable in the longitudinally extending elongate slot of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, the central knife blade being received in a notch of the surgical buttress upon an advancement of the central knife blade through the longitudinal extending slot;

wherein at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly including:

a pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof,

wherein the anchor extends across the pair of recesses of the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly for securing the surgical buttress thereto,

an other knife blade pivotably mounted on the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, the other knife blade having a distally oriented knife edge and being movable from a position proximal of the pair of recesses to a position distal of the pair of recesses, the other knife blade being movable to cut the anchor.

2. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly includes:

a distal pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof; and

a proximal pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof; and

wherein a suture extends across respective distal and proximal pairs of recesses of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly for securing a respective surgical buttress thereto.

3. The Surgical apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a knife blade is supported in a distal end portion of each of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly.

4. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the axial drive assembly moves the knife blade from the position proximal of the pair of recesses to the position distal of the pair of recesses.

5. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the anchor is a suture.

6. The surgical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the surgical buttress is pre-loaded onto the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly by the manufacturer before use.

7. A surgical apparatus of the type including a handle assembly operable with a drive assembly to eject at least one staple from the surgical apparatus, the surgical apparatus comprising:

a cartridge assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot;

an anvil assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot;

wherein each of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly includes:

a distal pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof; and

a proximal pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof; and

wherein a suture extends across respective distal and proximal pairs of recesses of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly for securing a respective surgical buttress thereto; and

a surgical buttress releasably secured to at least one of the tissue contacting surface of the cartridge assembly and the tissue contacting surface of the anvil assembly by at least one anchor, wherein

at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly including:

a pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof, wherein the anchor extends from one of the pair of recesses to the other of the pair of recesses for securing the surgical buttress thereto,

a knife blade pivotably mounted on the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, the knife blade having a distally oriented knife edge and being movable from a position proximal of the pair of recesses to a position distal of the pair of recesses upon an actuation of the axial drive assembly, the knife being movable to cut the anchor.

8. The surgical apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising an axial drive assembly movable for firing surgical staples from the cartridge assembly.

9. The surgical apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the axial drive assembly has a central knife blade slidably disposable in the longitudinal extending elongate slot of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly.

10. The surgical apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a knife blade is supported in a distal end portion of each of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly.

11. The surgical apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the axial drive assembly moves the knife blade from the position proximal of the pair of recesses to the position distal of the pair of recesses.

12. The surgical apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the anchor is a suture.

13. The surgical apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the surgical buttress is pre-loaded onto the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly by the manufacturer before use.

14. A surgical apparatus of the type including a handle assembly operable with a drive assembly to eject at least one staple from the surgical apparatus, the surgical apparatus comprising:

a cartridge assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot;

an anvil assembly defining a tissue contacting surface and a longitudinally extending elongate slot;

a surgical buttress releasably secured to at least one of the tissue contacting surface of the cartridge assembly and the tissue contacting surface of the anvil assembly by at least one anchor, the anchor being a suture,

at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly including:

a pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof,

wherein the anchor extends across the pair of recesses of the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly for securing the surgical buttress thereto,

a knife blade pivotably mounted on the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, the knife blade having a distally oriented knife edge and being movable from a position proximal of the pair of recesses to a position distal of the pair of recesses upon an actuation of the axial drive assembly, the knife being movable to cut the anchor.

15. The surgical apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising an axial drive assembly movable for firing surgical staples from the cartridge assembly.

16. The surgical apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the axial drive assembly has a central knife blade slidably disposable in the longitudinal extending elongate slot of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly.

17. The surgical apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the axial drive assembly moves the knife blade from the position proximal of the pair of recesses to the position distal of the pair of recesses.

18. The surgical apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein each of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly includes:

a distal pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof; and

a proximal pair of recesses formed in a respective side edge thereof; and

wherein a suture extends across respective distal and proximal pairs of recesses of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly for securing a respective surgical buttress thereto.

19. The surgical apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein a knife blade is supported in a distal end portion of each of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly.

20. The surgical apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the surgical buttress is pre-loaded onto the at least one of the cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly by the manufacturer before use.