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 .