Patent ID: 8215532

Claim:
A surgical instrument for surgically joining tissue, the surgical instrument comprising: a handle assembly; an elongated portion extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis; an end effector disposed adjacent a distal portion of the elongated portion, the end effector including a first jaw member and a second jaw member, at least one of the first jaw member and the second jaw member being movable with respect to the other jaw member between spaced and approximated positions, the first jaw member including an upper tissue-contacting surface and a lower shelf portion, the shelf portion including a groove defined therein; a stop member disposed adjacent a distal portion of the first jaw member, the stop member being pivotable with respect to the first jaw member between a first position where a significant portion of the stop member is positioned external to the first jaw member, and a second position where a lower portion of the stop member is positioned at least partially within the groove of the shelf portion.