Patent ID: 8371492

Claim:
A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising: a housing; a handle supported by the housing; an elongated body extending distally from the housing; a tool assembly at the distal end of the elongated body, the tool assembly having a cartridge assembly including a staple cartridge having a plurality of surgical fasteners therein, and an anvil assembly, at least one of the cartridge assembly and anvil assembly being movable in relation to the other of the cartridge assembly and anvil assembly, wherein the anvil assembly includes an anvil plate, and wherein each of the anvil plate and the staple cartridge define an elongate longitudinal slot; a surgical buttress disposed on a tissue contacting surface of a selected one of the anvil assembly and the staple cartridge, wherein the surgical buttress is secured to the selected one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly by a suture disposed in a retention slot defined in the tissue contacting surface of the selected one of the anvil assembly and the staple cartridge, the suture passing transversely across the surgical buttress; and a release assembly that grips the suture prior to an actuation of a drive assembly movable in the longitudinal slot and including: a first bar extending across the longitudinal slot prior to an actuation of the drive assembly; and a second bar, connected to and actuatable by the first bar, having an end extending at least partially into the retention slot, prior to an actuation of the drive assembly.