Patent ID: 8181838

Claim:
A surgical stapling device, including: an elongated body portion having proximal and distal portions; and a head portion positioned adjacent the distal portion of the body portion, the head portion including a shell assembly and an anvil assembly movable relative to the shell assembly between unapproximated and approximated positions, the anvil assembly including an anvil head and a center rod extending from the anvil head, the center rod including a first annular engagement member and a second annular engagement member, and a drive screw with proximal and distal ends extending at least partially through the body portion, and an anvil retainer being operably connected to the drive screw and configured and dimensioned to at least partially receive the center rod and the first annular engagement member therein, wherein the drive screw moves the anvil assembly between the unapproximated and approximated positions, the first annular engagement member being configured to engage an annular recess of the anvil retainer to attach the center rod to the anvil retainer and the second annular member being configured to frictionally engage the shell assembly to enhance stability of the anvil assembly on the anvil retainer.