Medtronic Simplifies Clinic Information Connectivity Challenge.

New Technologies to Share Key Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Information

MINNEAPOLIS -- Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) today announced the release of its newest version of the Medtronic Paceart[R] System. Paceart's "Get Connected" Edition helps ensure easy electronic access to key implantable device data wherever it's needed through expanded support for diskless SessionSync[TM] data transfer between the Medtronic CareLink[R] Programmer (Model 2090) and Paceart, as well as data transfer between Paceart and electronic health record or practice management systems via industry-standard HL7[R] (Health Level Seven[R]) protocols.

The latest edition of Paceart further supports Medtronic's commitment to provide clinicians with solutions designed for the management of patients with cardiac rhythm disease.

"Paceart supports the care and long-term management of patients with heart rhythm disorders by serving as a central hub for accessing patient care information and device performance data," said Julie Foster, vice president of marketing for Medtronic's Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business. "Paceart remains a valuable tool that streamlines clinicians' workflows for assessing, storing and retrieving patients' implantable cardiac device data."

Paceart serves as an information hub for clinicians, providing access to detailed patient and device data regardless of the source. It simplifies the challenge posed to clinics and hospitals attempting to efficiently access and transfer data from varied diagnostic and clinic information management systems. The system consolidates detailed data from in-clinic device interrogations from the major implantable cardiac device manufacturers, and also remote management technologies such as the Medtronic CareLink[R] Network, and transtelephonic monitoring (TTM) systems, including pacemaker transmitters and cardiac event recorders. Paceart supports the management of data for more than 1,000 implantable cardiac devices. In addition, Paceart serves as a single integration point, reducing the number of interfaces and information technology resources needed to share information electronically with other systems.

The latest edition features industry-standard HL7 data transfer technology, which enables the sharing of key patient and implantable cardiac device information with any HL7-compatible electronic medical record or practice management system. The HL7 integration module supports receiving patient registration and scheduling information, and sending patient follow-up data, reducing duplication and improving overall data accuracy when compared to manual processes.

In addition, the Paceart Get Connected Edition further expands coverage of Medtronic implantable cardiac devices that can transfer follow-up data from the Medtronic CareLink[R] programmer directly into the Paceart system. The SessionSync transfer process uses a secure network interface (wired or wireless) that eliminates using a 3.5" floppy disk or other portable storage media, resulting in improved efficiency and potentially eliminating human error resulting from manual transfers. With this release, approximately 75 percent of current Medtronic implantable cardiac devices are covered. Finally, the release expands its support for the automatic transfer of data from Medtronic CareLink Network-managed devices to include selected Medtronic pacemakers. Nearly 95,000 patients at more than 1,000 clinics in the United States currently use the Medtronic CareLink Network, the leading Internet-based system to help physicians and patients better manage chronic cardiovascular disease treated by implantable device therapy.

Medtronic Paceart is the leading universal management solution for clinics that implant sophisticated cardiac devices to treat patients with heart rhythm problems. It stores programmed device settings, summarizes patient data into convenient reports, creates patient correspondence, schedules in-clinic patient visits and remote transmissions, speeds records processing, helps track devices on alert, and assists in billing management. Paceart systems are installed in more than 1,000 clinics managing more than 1.5 million patients with implanted cardiac devices. More information about the Paceart system is available at www.paceart.com.

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.