Soft tissue stapling buttress

Abstract

A prosthetic article for surgical implantation within the body of a host in a surgical stapling procedure comprises a strip of host-tissue-compatible animal tissue material that is initially removably affixed between the spaced-apart legs a U-shaped buttress member to create a tubular configuration that can readily slip over the jaws of a conventional surgical stapler. When the staple gun is fired, the staples penetrate through the strips of animal tissue and the host tissue and thus serve to reinforce the staple line. Because the buttress member is releasibly attached to the strip of animal tissue, the buttress member can be readily separated and discarded following the firing of a staple gun.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.