Medtronic Marks Sale of 1 Millionth CapSureFix(R) Novus Model 5076 Cardiac Pacing Lead; Most-Prescribed Lead in the History of Pacing is a Slender, Steroid-Eluting Lead That Delivers Pacing Impulses for Patients Worldwide.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) today announced that 1 million units of the Medtronic CapSureFix(R) Novus Lead (Model 5076) have been supplied to health care providers worldwide since its introduction in 2000 in both the U.S. and Europe, making it the most-prescribed lead in the history of pacing. The sale of the 1 millionth Model 5076 lead marks a major milestone in the safety and reliability of implantable pacemakers as an effective standard of care for hearts that beat too slowly.

Representing some of the least-heralded but most challenging engineering achievements in medical technology, leads are insulated wires that carry precisely timed electrical impulses from a pacemaker, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device implanted in the patient's chest to a specific point on the inner heart wall. A lead flexes each time the heart beats - more than 100,000 times a day - and is constantly assaulted by body fluids. Yet it is engineered so it may be used with subsequent devices, which are replaced as a result of normal battery depletion

"This product carries the results of nearly 50 years of work to develop a lead that can perform a critical job in one of the most hostile environments known - the human body," said Steve Mahle, president of Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management. "But it is essential to note that innovation continues, building on today's technologies to create even better leads for tomorrow's patients."

The Medtronic CapSureFix Novus lead, Model 5076, is 6-French (about 2 mm) in diameter. Supplied in six lengths ranging from 35 to 85 cm, its active-fixation titanium nitride electrode incorporates technologies that allow it to be fixed in place in a specific location within the heart determined by the implanting physician. Once there, the electrode employs steroid-elution technology that has been demonstrated to minimize the body's inflammatory response, and thus improve endocardial conductivity and reduce pacing thresholds. The lead's silicone insulation is formulated with a coating that facilitates passage of the lead as the physician maneuvers it through the patient's venous system from an implanted pacemaker to the inner heart wall. The 5076 model is designed for use with pacemakers from the Medtronic EnRhythm(R), EnPulse(R), Kappa(R) and Sigma(R) series or Vitatron(R) T or C series.

Medtronic is the only cardiac rhythm disease management company that monitors lead survival in a prospective, multicenter, global lead study, the ongoing results of which are published in the company's semiannual Product Performance Report. The CapSureFix Novus Model 5076 has a 99 percent survival rate.

About Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, is the global leader in medical technology - alleviating pain, restoring health, and extending life for millions of people around the world.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 28, 2006. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.