US Patent 10376263 Anvil modification members for surgical staplers

A surgical system includes an anvil that has, one, an elongate slot extending longitudinally along a length of the anvil and, two, a plurality of first staple-forming pockets. The surgical system further includes an anvil modification member releasably attachable to the anvil, wherein the anvil modification member comprises a plurality of second staple-forming pockets. In addition, the surgical system also includes a staple cartridge that has a plurality of staples formable by the plurality of first staple-forming pockets when the anvil modification member is not attached to the anvil, and wherein the staples are formable by the plurality of second staple-forming pockets when the anvil modification member is attached to the anvil.