Patent ID: 8231043

Claim:
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.