Apr 10, 2003
Guidant Sponsors Fellows Course to Educate Future Interventional Cardiologists

International Symposium Covers Latest Techniques and Technologies for Treating Coronary and Peripheral Vascular Disease

Indianapolis, Ind. and Santa Clara, Calif. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, today announced its continued commitment as a founding and primary sponsor of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation''s Interventional Cardiology Fellows Course, which inaugurates its ninth annual medical symposium today. The Fellows Course hosts hundreds of future interventional cardiologists in San Jose, Calif. today through Saturday, April 12.

"Guidant is pleased to be the primary sponsor for the ninth consecutive year of this premier forum for educating the interventional cardiologist of tomorrow, who will go on to treat many of the more than 1.5 million patients annually who require an interventional procedure for cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease," said Dana G. Mead Jr., president, Vascular Intervention, Guidant Corporation. "Each year, we look forward to this forum, which promotes the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The course, led by a world-class faculty, is more relevant than ever in this time of rapid technological innovation."

The symposium features a faculty of some of the world's foremost experts in interventional cardiology who present various approaches to the treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease, including complex angioplasty, drug eluting stents, vascular brachytherapy, atherectomy, and stenting. This year''s Fellows Course will honor the late Thomas J. Linnemeier, M.D., FACC. Dr. Linnemeier, who was Guidant''s chief medical officer and co-director of the Fellows Course, was an internationally recognized interventional cardiologist.

"The Fellows Course provides future interventional cardiologists with the opportunity to meet with an international faculty of more than 40 renowned pioneers and innovators in the field," said Gregg W. Stone, M.D., FACC, of Lenox Hill Heart and Vascular Institute in New York, vice president of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and course director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellows Course. "We are enthusiastic about this year''s conference, which will offer enhanced insight into current practices and controversies in coronary intervention."

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.