US Patent 8925788 End effectors for surgical stapling instruments

An end effector includes an anvil and a staple cartridge. The staple cartridge includes a first deck surface, a second deck surface, a plurality of first staple cavities arranged in a first row extending along the first deck surface, a plurality of second staple cavities arranged in a second row extending along the second deck surface, a plurality of third staple cavities arranged in a third row, a driven element, and a plurality of staples engaged with the driven element and deployed into the tissue. The plurality of staples include a first staple removably stored in the first row, a second staple removably stored in the second row, and a third staple removably stored in the third row.