Surgical stapling instrument with apparatus for providing anvil position feedback

A surgical stapling instrument for applying one or more surgical staples to tissue, comprising:

• a handle assembly;
• a shaft assembly coupled to said handle assembly and movably supporting a trocar assembly therein;
• a stapling head assembly operably coupled to said shaft assembly, said stapling head assembly comprising:
• a staple cartridge for supporting one or more surgical staples;
• a staple driver for engaging and driving the staples from said staple cartridge;
• and
• a knife movably supported in said stapling head assembly;
• a drive system for applying drive motions to said staple driver and said knife;
• an anvil removably attachable to a distal end of said trocar assembly;
• an illumination device attached to said anvil, said illumination device electrically connected to a source of electrical current;
• and
• at least one sensor on one of said anvil and said trocar assembly and electrically coupled to said source of electrical current and said illumination device such that when said anvil is attached to said distal end portion of said trocar assembly, electrical current flows from said source of electrical current to said illumination device.

A surgical stapling instrument for applying one or more surgical staples to tissue, comprising:

• a handle assembly;
• a shaft assembly coupled to said handle assembly;
• a stapling head assembly operably coupled to said shaft assembly, said stapling head assembly comprising:
• a stapling cartridge for supporting one or more surgical staples;
• a staple driver for engaging and driving the staples from said staple cartridge;
• and
• a knife movably supported in said stapling head assembly;
• a drive system for applying drive motions to said staple driver and said knife;
• a source of electrical current;
• a indicator on said instrument, said indicator communicating with said source of electrical current;
• and
• a trocar assembly movably supported by said shaft assembly configured to detachably support an anvil thereon, said trocar assembly having a first contact region and a second contact region that communicate with said source of electrical current and said indicator, said second contact region being electrically insulated from said first contact region such that when said anvil is attached to said distal end of said trocar assembly, said anvil electrically connects said first and second contact regions to permit said electrical current flow to said indicator.