Surgical stapler and method

A surgical stapler comprises a handle assembly; a tubular body portion extending from the handle assembly; a staple cartridge assembly operatively connected to a distal end of the tubular body. The staple cartridge includes a pair of annular arrays of staple receiving slots. Each staple receiving slot includes a surgical staple disposed therein for mechanically securing adjacent layers of body tissue to one another. The surgical stapler further comprises an anvil member operatively connected by a shaft to the distal end of the tubular body, opposite the staple cartridge assembly; and a body tissue property enhancing system configured and adapted to non-mechanically enhance the repairing or joining of the adjacent layers of body tissue to one another along an annular staple line forked by the firing of the surgical stapler. The body tissue property enhancing system includes an annular array of needle receiving slots, and a plurality of deployable needles disposed, one each, in the annular array of needle receiving slots for delivering the body tissue enhancer.