A surgical stapling instrument (10) comprising: a handle assembly (12)； a body portion (20) extending from the handle assembly, the body portion having a rod (40) and a staple cartridge assembly (22), the staple cartridge assembly defining staple receiving slots (36) and having a knife defining a cutting edge disposed therein； and an anvil assembly (30) including an anvil head (42), a planar anvil member (26) and an anvil shaft (28), the anvil shaft defining a longitudinal axis (x) and being connectable to the rod (40), the anvil head having an inner recess (52) and a cutting ring (53) disposed in the inner recess -the anvil member (26) being pivotally secured to the anvil head (42) about a transverse axis, the transverse axis being transverse to the longitudinal axis (x) and laterally spaced therefrom such that the two axes do not intersect, the anvil assembly having a pivot member (48) for pivotally securing the anvil member to the anvil head, and the anvil member (26) having a proximally facing planar tissue contacting surface defining staple forming recesses； the anvil member being pivotable with respect to the anvil head from a first position in which the plane defined by the tissue contact surface is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (x) to a second position in which the planar tissue contacting surface is tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis (x).
