May 17, 1999
Guidant Announces Re-election of Directors

Indianapolis, IN - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a global leader in cardiovascular therapy, announced that at the company(tm)s Annual Meeting of Shareholders on , Guidant(tm)s shareholders voted to re-elect Directors J. B. King; Susan B. King; J. Kevin Moore; and Ruedi E. Wäger, Ph.D., to the Board of Directors for terms ending in the year 2002.

Mr. King is Vice President and General Counsel for Guidant. Ms. King is the Leader in Residence and Chair of the Board of Advisors for the Hart Leadership Program at Duke University. Mr. Moore is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Carolinas Medical Center. Dr. Wäger is Chief Executive Officer for Centeon L.L.C.

Guidant(tm)s shareholders also voted: 1) to approve an increase of the authorized number of shares of the company(tm)s common stock from 500 million to 1 billion; and 2) to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company(tm)s independent auditors for the calendar year 1999.

A global leader in the medical device industry, Guidant provides innovative, minimally invasive and cost-effective products and services for the treatment of cardiovascular and vascular disease. For more information on Guidant(tm)s products and services, visit the company(tm)s Web site at http://www.guidant.com.