Mar 16, 2000
Guidant Announces Market Release of Next Generation Pacemaker in U.S.

Indianapolis, IN, and St. Paul, MN - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a worldwide leader in cardiac rhythm management systems, today announced that the FDA has approved the DISCOVERY(tm) II single sensor pacemaker for market release in the U.S.

"The DISCOVERY II device''s expanded diagnostic capability will complement our very successful blended sensor product, the PULSAR(tm) MAX pacemaker," commented Fred McCoy, president of Guidant''s Cardiac Rhythm Management Group. "DISCOVERY II was designed to greatly simplify clinician interaction with a pacemaker."

The feature addition of onset and markers, in combination with trending and arrhythmia logbook, present a therapy and arrhythmia profile that is unmatched in its comprehensiveness. Briefly, the DISCOVERY II is designed to:

• Enable a physician to easily and quickly perform a comprehensive set of automatic test and follow-up operations that save time and

• Provide one concise report that crisply presents information needed for informed patient management.

Guidant will begin shipping DISCOVERY II devices in early April.

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''s products and services, visit the company''s web site at http://www.guidant.com.