May 16, 2003
Guidant to Webcast 2003 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Meeting to be held in Indianapolis on May 19

Indianapolis, Ind. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, today announced that it will offer a live webcast of its Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled to take place on Monday, May 19, 2003, at 1:30 p.m. (CT) in Indianapolis.

In addition to the formal business matters described in the Company''s proxy statement, Ronald W. Dollens, president and CEO, Guidant Corporation, will provide an update on the company''s business as the keynote speaker. Also presenting on the company''s business will be Fred McCoy, president, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Guidant Corporation; and Joseph M. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., senior vice president and chief medical officer, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Guidant Corporation.

A live webcast of Guidant''s annual meeting will be accessible through the company''s website at www.guidant.com/webcast or at CCBN's individual investor center at www.companyboardroom.com. The webcast will be archived on both websites for future on-demand replay. The company''s annual report, proxy statement and additional information are available on Guidant''s website at www.guidant.com/investors.

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 11,000 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.

System requirements for the webcast include Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher) or Netscape Navigator 4.0 (or higher).Users also should have the most recent version of Windows Media Player, which can be downloaded for free at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/en/download/. Users may experience varying levels of performance based on their connection speed, system capabilities and presence of a corporate firewall. To ensure a connection, users should go to the program five to 15 minutes before its start.