# US 10,945,733 B2 · Surgical buttress reload and tip attachment assemblies for surgical stapling apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,945,733 B2 - Document ID: US10945733B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/037,367 - Filed: 2018-07-17 - Published: 2019-02-28 - Granted: 2021-03-16 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-23 - Assignees: Covidien LP - Applicants: Covidien LP - Inventors: John Beardsley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945733B2 ## CPC - A61B 17/07292: {Reinforcements for staple line, e.g. pledgets} - A61B 17/064: Surgical staples, {i.e. penetrating the tissue} - A61B 17/07207: {the staples being applied sequentially} - A61B 2017/00367: {Details of actuation of instruments, e.g. relations between pushing buttons, or the like, and activation of the tool, working tip, or the like} - A61B 2017/00477: {Coupling (A61B2017/0046 takes precedence)} - A61B 2017/07228: {Arrangement of the staples} - A61B 2017/07257: {characterised by its anvil} - A61B 2017/07271: {characterised by its cartridge} - A61B 2017/320044: {Blunt dissectors} - A61B 2090/038: {during shipment} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A surgical stapling apparatus includes a handle assembly, an elongate tubular body, a loading unit including an anvil assembly and a staple cartridge assembly, and a reload assembly. The reload assembly includes a staple cartridge releasably disposed within the staple cartridge assembly of the loading unit, a cartridge buttress releasably secured to the staple cartridge, and an anvil buttress including a proximal portion releasably secured to the staple cartridge and a distal portion releasably coupled to the anvil assembly of the loading unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A surgical stapling apparatus comprising: a handle assembly; an elongate tubular body; a loading unit including an anvil assembly and a staple cartridge assembly; and a reload assembly including: a staple cartridge releasably disposed within the staple cartridge assembly of the loading unit; an anvil adapter including a body having a button extending therefrom that is engaged with an opening extending through a distal portion of the anvil assembly and accessible through an outermost surface of the anvil assembly to releasably attach the anvil adapter to the anvil assembly; a cartridge buttress releasably secured to the staple cartridge; and an anvil buttress including a proximal portion releasably secured to the staple cartridge and a distal portion releasably secured to only the body of the anvil adapter such that the distal portion of the anvil buttress is retained on the anvil assembly when the anvil adapter is engaged with the anvil assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of the anvil buttress is releasably secured to a trailing portion of the staple cartridge, the trailing portion disposed proximally of a tissue facing surface of the staple cartridge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein proximal and distal portions of the cartridge buttress are releasably secured to the tissue facing surface of the staple cartridge. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reload assembly further includes a retention member releasably securing the distal portion of the anvil buttress to the anvil adapter, and the anvil adapter includes an anvil knife slidable relative to the body of the anvil adapter and configured to cut the retention member and release the anvil buttress from the anvil adapter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anvil adapter includes a protrusion disposed at a distal end thereof, the protrusion releasably engaged with a notch defined in a distal end of the anvil assembly. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anvil adapter includes a tip portion having a curved dissecting tip. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reload assembly further includes a shipping wedge releasably positioned between the cartridge and anvil buttresses. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the shipping wedge includes a distal end complementary in shape with the button to facilitate release and removal of the anvil adapter from the anvil assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The surgical stapling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the button of the anvil adapter includes a shank and an enlarged head, and a channel is defined in the button such that portions of the button on opposed sides of the channel can flex relative to each other. ### Claim 10 A reload assembly for a loading unit of a surgical stapling apparatus, the reload assembly comprising: a staple cartridge configured for positioning in a staple cartridge assembly of the loading unit; an anvil adapter including a body having a button extending therefrom configured for engaging an opening defined in a distal portion of an anvil assembly of the loading unit and extending through an outermost surface of the anvil assembly to releasably attach the anvil adapter to the loading unit; a cartridge buttress releasably secured to the staple cartridge; and an anvil buttress including a proximal portion releasably secured to the staple cartridge and a distal portion releasably secured to only the body of the anvil adapter such that the distal portion of the anvil buttress is retained on the anvil assembly when the anvil adapter is engaged with the anvil assembly. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The reload assembly according to claim 10, wherein the proximal portion of the anvil buttress is releasably secured to a trailing portion of the staple cartridge, the trailing portion disposed proximally of a tissue facing surface of the staple cartridge. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The reload assembly according to claim 11, wherein proximal and distal portions of the cartridge buttress are releasably secured to the tissue facing surface of the staple cartridge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The reload assembly according to claim 10, further including a retention member releasably securing the distal portion of the anvil buttress to the anvil adapter, and the anvil adapter includes an anvil knife slidable relative to the body of the anvil adapter and configured to cut the retention member and release the anvil buttress from the anvil adapter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The reload assembly according to claim 10, wherein the anvil adapter includes a protrusion disposed at a distal end thereof, the protrusion releasably engageable with a notch defined in an anvil assembly of a loading unit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The reload assembly according to claim 10, wherein the anvil adapter includes a tip portion having a curved dissecting tip. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The reload assembly according to claim 10, further including a shipping wedge releasably positioned between the cartridge and anvil buttresses. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The reload assembly according to claim 16, wherein the shipping wedge includes a distal end complementary in shape with the button to facilitate release and removal of the anvil adapter from the anvil assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The reload assembly according to claim 10, wherein the button of the anvil adapter includes a shank and an enlarged head, and a channel is defined in the button such that portions of the button on opposed sides of the channel can flex relative to each other.