Patent ID: 8231042

Claim:
A surgical stapler comprising; a handle assembly; an elongated body portion extending distally from the handle assembly; and a head portion disposed adjacent a distal portion of the elongated body portion and including an anvil assembly and a shell assembly, the anvil assembly being movable in relation to the shell assembly between spaced and approximated positions, the shell assembly including a fastener guide, the fastener guide having a central aperture, slots through which staples are ejected, and a plurality of radially spaced openings formed therein, the plurality of openings positioned between the central aperture and the slots, the anvil assembly having an anvil head and a plurality of projections extending proximally of the anvil head, the projections engageable with the plurality of openings of the fastener guide of the shell assembly, the plurality of openings aligned with respective projections of the anvil assembly.