Nov 15, 2002
Guidant Appoints Joseph M. Smith, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer for Cardiac Rhythm Management

Indianapolis, Ind. and St. Paul, Minn. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, today announced that Joseph M. Smith, M.D., Ph.D. will join Guidant as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Cardiac Rhythm Management. Dr. Smith is currently director of The Arrhythmia Institute and research director of The Cardiovascular Group (TCG), both located in Fairfax, Virginia. He also serves as director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratories at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia. Dr. Smith will join Guidant effective February 1, 2003.

"We are excited that Dr. Smith is joining our leadership team," said Fred McCoy, president, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Guidant Corporation. "The combination of his training, experience, creativity, and stature are uniquely exceptional. Dr. Smith will have broad, positive influence on the technology, product, clinical, and strategic direction of our company."

"As a member of Guidant''s medical advisory board, as a research scientist, and as a practicing cardiac electrophysiologist, I have come to know and appreciate Guidant''s integrity, innovative drive, and dedication to improving people''s lives through superior technological solutions," said Dr. Smith. "I look forward to participating even more fully in the strategic direction and business decisions of such an exciting enterprise."

In addition to his background as a practicing electrophysiologist, Dr. Smith has held academic positions at the School of Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering Science at Johns Hopkins University. He went on to earn a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Medical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his M.D. from the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Smith has served for seven years on the Guidant Cardiac Rhythm Management Medical Advisory Board. He and his family will soon relocate to St. Paul, Minnesota.

Guidant Corporation pioneers lifesaving technology, giving an opportunity for better life today to millions of cardiac and vascular patients worldwide. The company, driven by a strong entrepreneurial culture of more than 10,000 employees, develops, manufactures and markets a broad array of products and services that enable less invasive care for some of life''s most threatening medical conditions. For more information visit www.guidant.com.

NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information about Guidant, including its products and services, please visit the company's newsroom at www.guidant.com/newsroom.