Patent ID: 8070038

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; and an end effector disposed adjacent a distal portion of the elongated portion, the end effector including: a first jaw member defining a first axis, the first axis being transverse to the longitudinal axis, the first jaw member being pivotable about the first axis; and a second jaw member defining a second axis, the second jaw member being pivotable about the second axis, the first and second axes spaced apart along the longitudinal axis; wherein the first jaw member includes a cartridge assembly and the second jaw member includes an anvil assembly, the cartridge assembly including two rows of staples therein and each row of staples is individually actuatable; wherein at least one of the first jaw member and the second jaw member is movable with respect to the other between a spaced-apart position and an approximated position.