Patent ID: 8413871

Claim:
A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising: a housing; a handle supported by the housing; an elongated body extending distally from the housing and having a distal end adapted to releasably engage a loading unit; and a loading unit supportable on a distal end of the housing, the loading unit including: a tool assembly having a cartridge assembly configured and adapted to releasably support a staple cartridge having a plurality of surgical fasteners therein, and an anvil assembly movably secured in relation to the cartridge assembly, wherein the anvil assembly is configured and adapted to support an anvil plate and, wherein each of the anvil plate and the staple cartridge define an elongate longitudinal slot; a surgical buttress preloaded and releasably secured directly to a tissue contacting surface of at least one of the anvil plate and the staple cartridge, wherein each surgical buttress is secured to the at least one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly by a proximal anchor and a distal anchor; a release knife supported in at least one of the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly at a location adjacent the distal anchor; and a drive assembly slidably supported in the tool assembly, the drive assembly including a knife blade slidably disposed within each elongate longitudinal slot, wherein movement of the drive assembly from a proximal position to a distal position results in the knife blade thereof at least one of cutting the proximal anchor and causing the distal anchor to be cut by the release knife, thereby freeing each surgical buttress from the respective at least one anvil assembly and cartridge assembly.