Cook Surgical Reports Nearly 50% U.S. Sales Growth in First Half of 2006.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Company's Breakthrough Surgisis(R) AFP(TM) Anal Fistula Plug Brings Strong Growth as Physicians Turn to the Device for Fistula Repair and Crohn's Disease Patient Management

Cook Surgical, a division of Cook, the world's largest private medical device company, reported record sales in the first half of 2006 driven by the rapid adoption of the company's signature Surgisis AFP plug. Following U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for the Surgisis AFP plug in March of 2005, sales of the device have increased by 48 percent in the first two quarters of 2006 to physicians, hospitals and other medical institutions seeking an effective, minimally invasive means of treating debilitating, painful anal fistulas.

A fistula is an abnormal channel that develops between body organs, and is most commonly found in the intestinal tract. As the only minimally invasive medical device approved for anal fistula repair, the Surgisis AFP plug provides an innovative yet simple treatment for this notoriously difficult medical condition. The cone-shaped device, made from a biologic material that supports and enhances the body's natural healing process, is sutured in place in the fistula tract where it serves as a bio-scaffold for native tissue regeneration, closing the fistula.

Since its launch, the innovative device has experienced dramatic sales growth, with U.S. physicians now treating more than 550 fistula patients a month. The device is implanted in procedures treating fistulas related to Crohn's disease, colitis, diverticulitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases. More than 500 physicians have attended regional training courses and medical meetings featuring lessons and workshops demonstrating the Cook Surgisis AFP Plug in common procedures for treating simple and complex fistulas. With such a high percentage of success and great efficacy, a significant and growing number of medical institutions currently offer the device as a new "gold standard" in fistula treatment.

"We attribute the success of our Surgisis AFP plug to its breakthrough design and high success rates in treating some of the most prevalent and painful inflammatory bowel diseases that until now required repeated open surgical procedures," said Andy Cron, vice president of Cook Surgical. "Continuing Cook's rich history of quality and excellence, the positive performance of the Surgisis AFP plug, the only device of its kind at this time, shows our unchallenged commitment to addressing the needs of each and every patient."

With increasing support from the medical field, Cook expects to see continued growth and demand for its Surgisis AFP product family. Renowned physicians David Armstrong, M.D., Program Director of the Georgia Colon and Rectal Surgical Clinic, and C. Neal Ellis, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Program Director for General Surgery at the University of South Alabama, have seen very positive results with the insertion of the plug in fistula procedures. Additional information and the results of the Surgisis AFP plug procedures are published in the Diseases of the Colon & Rectum Vol. 49, No. 3 issue.

"Complex fistulas are one of the most debilitating conditions patients can have, especially in severe cases where quality of life is significantly impacted. Prior to the Cook Surgisis AFP plug, we had limited treatment options to help these patients," explained Dr. Armstrong. "With an 87 percent initial success rate, the Surgisis AFP plug has performed remarkably well, and a number of patients have experienced life-changing improvements in a relatively short period of time." Dr. Armstrong receives royalty payments from Cook for his role in developing the device.

About Cook

The world's largest privately held manufacturer of medical devices with international headquarters in Bloomington, Ind., COOK(R) (www.cookmedical.com/) is a leading designer, manufacturer and global distributor of minimally invasive medical device technology for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Since its founding in 1963, Cook has created innovative technologies for drug-eluting and bare metal stents, aortic and vascular endografts, catheters, wire guides, introducer needles and sheaths, embolization coils, medical biomaterials and contract manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, vena cava filters and other minimally invasive medical devices for radiology, cardiology, urology and women's health, critical care medicine, surgery, gastroenterology, bone access and endovascular therapies.