GE Healthcare and Guidant Broaden Alliance to Increase Women's Heart Health Awareness.

NEW YORK -- Free Medical Screenings Offered to the Public in Partnership with Red Dress Collection 2005 Fashion Show

According to the American Heart Association, 37 million American women have cardiovascular disease. One in three American women will die from heart disease. In the U.S. alone, cardiovascular disease claims the lives of nearly 500,000 women each year.

GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE), one of the largest diagnostics and life sciences companies in the world, and Guidant Corporation (NYSE:GDT), a world leader in the manufacture of cardiac and vascular therapeutic devices such as pacemakers, stents and implantable defibrillators, will launch a women's heart health awareness initiative this week in New York City.

Partnering with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) The Heart Truth Campaign, a national campaign aimed to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death among American women, GE Healthcare and Guidant have arranged an event in conjunction with the second annual Red Dress Collection 2005 Fashion Show on Friday, February 4th.

"The collaboration with Guidant is our continued commitment to the education and prevention of cardiovascular disease," said Joe Hogan, President and CEO of GE Healthcare Technologies. "Both GE Healthcare and Guidant have similar missions where we work with health care providers worldwide to ensure our innovative technology is clinically relevant for them and their patients," he added.

As part of their ongoing alliance, GE Healthcare and Guidant will provide complimentary health screenings to the public on National Wear Red Day, Friday, Feb. 4th. Free health screenings will take place from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the GE Women's Health and Wellness Tour mobile unit, which will be parked adjacent to the fashion show, near Bryant Park at 41st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City. The 53-foot vehicle is fully equipped with the latest state-of-the-art clinical technology. Continuum Health Partner's Women's Cardiac Care Network will offer blood pressure and pulse readings, bone density screenings and educational talks about mammograms and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

"Heart disease is the number one cause of death for American women and their major health risk. Educating women about their risk factors and symptoms is the first step toward changing this sobering reality," said Dr. Beverly Lorell, chief medical and technology officer, Guidant Corporation. "Guidant is dedicated to women's cardiovascular health, both prevention and treatment, and is pleased to partner with GE Healthcare and The Heart Truth on this important initiative."

GE Healthcare has more than 50 cardiovascular products that detect, diagnose, treat and manage cardiovascular disease. The collaboration is an extension of GE Healthcare's Women's Heart Health Campaign. Guidant offers an extensive line of implantable devices and breakthrough therapies designed to treat cardiac and vascular disease. Guidant is an industry leader in promoting women's heart health through its GROW (Guidant Reaches Out to Women) initiative and other women's cardiovascular health programs.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that will shape a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticals is dedicated to detecting disease earlier and tailoring treatment for individual patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of services to improve productivity in healthcare and enable healthcare providers to better diagnose, treat and manage patients with conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases.

GE Healthcare is a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 42,500 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.

About Guidant Corporation

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 12,000 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.

About The Heart Truth

The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NHLBI first introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease at Fashion Week in February 2003. The Heart Truth will celebrate the second anniversary of its Red Dress by hosting the Red Dress Collection 2005 Fashion Show at Olympus Fashion Week in New York City on National Wear Red Day. The Red Dress Collection Fashion Show brings the Red Dress symbol to life with more than 25 of America's most influential designers and their creations on one runway with a star-studded cast of distinguished celebrities. For more information, visit www.hearttruth.gov.