Patent ID: 8820606

Claim:
An end effector for use with a surgical stapler, the end effector comprising: a staple cartridge assembly haying a tissue contacting surface, a first side surface extending from the tissue contacting surface, and a second side surface opposite the first side surface; an anvil assembly having a tissue contacting surface, a first side surface extending from the tissue contacting surface, and a second side surface opposite the first side surface; the staple cartridge assembly and anvil assembly having proximal and distal attachment zones; a buttress releasably disposed on the tissue contacting surfaces of each of the staple cartridge and the anvil assembly; a pair of anchor members affixed to the attachment zones of each of the staple cartridge and anvil assembly configured to retain the respective buttress material atop the respective tissue contacting surfaces; and a proximal suture is positioned along a proximal portion of each of the staple cartridge assembly and anvil assembly, and a distal suture is positioned along a distal portion of each of the staple cartridge assembly and the anvil assembly, wherein the anchor members comprise a polymeric suture; wherein the first and second side surfaces of each of the staple cartridge assembly and anvil assembly have overmolded zones made from a polymeric material, wherein each anchor member is bonded to the respective overmolded zones of the first and second side surfaces; wherein a first end of the proximal suture couples to the overmolded zone of the first side surface and a second end of the proximal suture couples to the overmolded zone of the second side surface such that the proximal suture passes transversely across a proximal portion of the buttresses of each of the staple cartridge assembly, wherein a first end of the distal suture couples to the overmolded zone of the first side surface and a second end of the distal suture couples to the overmolded zone of the second side surface such that the distal suture passes transversely across the distal portion of the buttresses of each of the staple cartridge assembly and anvil assembly.