Patent ID: 7204404

Claim:
A surgical instrument adapted for applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue, the surgical instrument comprising: a frame having a proximal end and a distal end, with a handle positioned at the proximal end; a cartridge housing and an anvil, the cartridge housing and anvil being relatively movable between a first spaced apart position and a second position in close approximation with one another, and the cartridge housing includes a knife adapted for cutting tissue by moving between the cartridge housing and the anvil; a firing mechanism is associated with the cartridge housing for selective actuation; and a tissue retention feature including an upper member and a lower member, wherein the upper member extends between the cartridge housing and the anvil and the lower member extends between the cartridge housing and the anvil in a manner maintaining tissue between the cartridge housing and the anvil during treatment, and the upper and lower members respectively include channels associated with the knife for guiding it between the cartridge housing and the anvil.