Patent attributes
A surgical stapling apparatus includes a loading unit and a surgical buttress assembly. The loading unit includes an anvil assembly and a staple cartridge assembly. The staple cartridge assembly includes a staple cartridge having a tissue facing surface including staple pockets and a central longitudinal slot defined therethrough and a hook assembly extending outwardly from the tissue facing surface. The surgical buttress assembly includes an anvil buttress and a cartridge buttress. Each of the anvil and cartridge buttresses includes a body, a proximal tab, and a distal tab. The anvil and cartridge buttresses are interconnected at a junction of the proximal tabs and the surgical buttress assembly is folded at the junction such that the proximal tabs substantially overlie one another. The proximal tabs are engaged with the hook assembly to releasably secure the proximal tabs of the anvil and cartridge buttresses to the staple cartridge assembly.