Feb 14, 2003
Guidant to Host Mid-Quarter Update Today at 11:00 a.m. EST

Live Webcast Available

Indianapolis, Ind. - Guidant Corporation (NYSE and PCX: GDT), a world leader in the treatment of cardiac and vascular disease, will host a conference call to provide an update on the company''s business including recent developments in cardiac rhythm management. The conference call will be held today, at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Participating on the call will be Fred McCoy, president, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Guidant; Joseph Smith, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C., chief medical officer, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Guidant; and Keith Brauer, vice president, finance and CFO, Guidant.

"We are reiterating our first quarter guidance of $0.54 - $0.60 earnings per share, as adjusted, and $855 - $895 million in revenue," stated Brauer. "Full-year guidance for 2003 remains $1.85 - $2.00 earnings per share, as adjusted, and approximately $3.2 billion in revenue."

A live webcast of Guidant''s conference call will be accessible through Guidant''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.

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.

This release includes forward-looking statements concerning financial guidance. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including general business conditions; market trends and competition, including sales growth rates for defibrillator and pacemaker systems and company stent sales trends in light of the likely near-term competitive introduction of drug eluting stents; economic conditions, including exchange rates; and the factors listed on exhibit 99.1 to Guidant''s most recent 10-Q. As such, they involve risks that could cause actual results to differ materially. The company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.

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.