Sep 23, 2002
Guidant to Sponsor Symposium on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Women with Heart Disease at TCT Conference

Session to Improve Knowledge and Practices to Help Overcome Rising Mortality Rate

Indianapolis, Ind. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, announced today that it will sponsor a satellite symposium on women and cardiovascular disease during the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Washington, D.C. The symposium, which will feature a keynote address from Congresswoman Julia Carson (D-IN), will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 2:30 p.m. EDT.

"Despite the fact that cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of women, many are still not aware that they are at risk," said Alexandra J. Lansky, M.D., director of the Women's Cardiovascular Health Initiative, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and co-moderator of the symposium. "We believe this symposium will be an extremely valuable forum for equipping the interventional cardiology community with information they need to improve their knowledge and practices in the diagnosis and treatment of women with heart disease."

The symposium, entitled "The Women''s Cardiovascular Health Initiative: Socio-Medical Issues, Clinical Trials and Future Directions," will explore current strategies and initiatives in overcoming the rising cardiovascular mortality trends in women, and will provide an overview of current treatment options for women with heart disease.

"Guidant is committed to educating women about their risk for cardiovascular disease, and to educating physicians about specific risks that women face," said Ginger Graham, advisor to the president, Guidant Corporation. "Mortality rates from cardiovascular disease among women have increased while the rate among men have decreased. Experts speculate that this is due to a lack in awareness among women and their physicians, and less aggressive use of therapy for women than men. We hope the symposium will serve as the basis for an ongoing discussion about cardiovascular disease between interventional cardiologists and their female patients."

Guidant is a leader in supporting women''s cardiovascular health programs and developing tools to increase women''s knowledge of and access to cardiovascular care. More information regarding women''s health can be found on Guidant''s website at www.guidant.com/women.

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.