Tissue cushioning aid for a surgical stapler end effector - Patents.com

Abstract

The surgical instrument includes a first jaw and a second jaw, a firing assembly, a first buttress assembly, and a second buttress assembly. The first jaw and the second jaw are actuated relative to one another between an open position and a closed position to grasp tissue. The second jaw includes a fastener assembly having a deck defining a plurality of openings and a plurality of fasteners housed within the openings. The firing assembly drives the plurality of fasteners from the plurality of openings against a plurality of fastener-forming features of the first jaw. The first buttress assembly and the second buttress assembly are associated with the first jaw and the second jaw, respectively. The first buttress assembly includes a first material and a first thickness. The second buttress assembly includes a second material and a second thickness. The first material and the second material have different stiffnesses. The first thickness and the second thickness are different.

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