Patent ID: 6939371

Claim:
An endovascular graft system capable of being deployed at a desired location within a vessel by a catheter introduced into a patient's vascular system, the graft system comprising: a one-piece, unitary attachment member having a first engaging portion, formed from a plurality of struts arranged in a substantially zigzag configuration, an intermediate portion, and a second engaging portion, formed from a plurality of struts arranged in a substantially zigzag configuration, the intermediate portion including multiple longitudinal struts having first and second ends and extending between the first and second engaging portions, the longitudinal struts being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the first and second engaging portions, the longitudinal struts having a thickness and width less than the struts of the first and second engaging portions, the first end of each longitudinal strut being affixed to the first engaging portion at one or more unions of the struts forming the substantially zigzag configuration and the second end of each longitudinal strut being affixed to the second engaging portion at one or more unions of the struts forming the substantially zigzag configuration, the first and second engaging portions being formed of a self-expanding material capable of expanding from a delivery configuration to a deployed configuration, the struts being configured such that the first engaging portion may be deployed such that it expands to its deployed configuration while the second engaging portion is in the delivery configuration; and a conduit formed of a graft material, the conduit being affixed to one of the engaging portions of the attachment member.