Patent ID: 8444038

Claim:
A surgical instrument for surgically joining a tissue, the surgical instrument comprising: a handle assembly including a movable handle; an elongate portion extending distally from the handle assembly and defining a longitudinal axis; a pair of opposed jaw members operatively coupled to the elongate portion and extending distally therefrom, the pair of opposed jaw members including a first jaw member and a second jaw member, the first jaw member defining first and second cam slots; and a tissue stop configured to retain the tissue between the pair of opposed jaw members, the tissue stop being operatively coupled to the first jaw member, the tissue stop including a pair of cams slidably engaging the first and second cam slots, respectively, the tissue stop being movable between a first position, where a stopping portion of the tissue stop is disposed between a tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member and a tissue-contacting surface of the second jaw member, and a second position, where the stopping portion is disposed between the tissue-contacting surface of the first jaw member and a lower surface of the first jaw member, wherein the first and second cam slots define an obtuse angle therebetween.