Surgical Stapling Device with Adjunct Material Application Feature

A method of releasing material from a surgical instrument, the surgical instrument including an end effector, a handle portion, and a shaft housing a firing bar, the end effector including a lower jaw and an anvil, the lower jaw being configured to receive a removable cartridge, the cartridge including a deck having a vertical slot, the instrument further including a stapling and severing assembly responsive to a longitudinal closing motion produced by the handle portion and the shaft, the stapling and severing feature including the firing bar, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) inserting the cartridge comprising a biocompatible material in the lower jaw of the end effector such that the biocompatible material is retained within a notch in the firing bar when the firing bar is in a first position;
• and
• (b) producing the longitudinal closing motion to advance the firing bar of the stapling and severing assembly through the vertical slot of the deck of the cartridge to a second position, such that the advancement of the firing bar concurrently advances the retained biocompatible material.