St. Jude Medical to Highlight Broad Portfolio of Innovative Medical Technology at European Cardiothoracic Surgeons' Meeting; Company Will Launch Epicor Cardiac Ablation System in European Market.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) will demonstrate its broad range of cardiac surgery products--including new valve replacement and repair products and advanced beating-heart cardiac tissue ablation technology--at the upcoming European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons Meeting (EACTS), September 25-28, in Barcelona, Spain.

St. Jude Medical will begin the European launch of its Epicor(TM) Cardiac Ablation System at EACTS. This system features a unique high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) energy source, which enables physicians to create continuous transmural ablative lesions safely and reproducibly, without the need to put patients on a heart-lung (cardiopulmonary) bypass machine.

Results of a prospective multi-center study using the Epicor(TM) Cardiac Ablation System were published in the September 2005 issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS). The study showed that at six-month follow-up, 85% of patients in the study group remained free from atrial fibrillation (80% in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation, 88% in patients who received an additional mitral line, and 100% in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation).

The St. Jude Medical(R) Rigid Saddle Annuloplasty Ring will also be introduced at EACTS. The device is the only annuloplasty ring designed to approximate the mitral valve's natural, three-dimensional saddle shape, resulting in less stress on the valve's leaflets and chords. With its anatomical shape and versatility for either ischemic or degenerative disease, this ring provides surgeons with a durable annuloplasty repair alternative, further expanding St. Jude Medical's portfolio of repair solutions for cardiac surgeons worldwide.

St. Jude Medical will highlight several other cardiac surgery products at EACTS, including:

--  The St. Jude Medical Masters HP(TM) Valved Graft with Gelweave
        Valsalva(TM) technology, designed to simultaneously repair the
        damaged portion of the ascending aorta and replace the aortic
        valve during heart valve replacement surgery.

        This innovative device combines the exceptional hemodynamic
        performance of the St. Jude Medical Masters HP(TM) valve with
        the advantages of the Vascutek (a TERUMO Company) Gelweave
        Valsalva(TM) graft, which is designed to replicate the aorta
        for easier implantation and provide excellent hemostatic
        control.

    --  The Epic(TM) and Epic(TM) Supra(a) stented valve system
        featuring the FlexFit(TM) Stent for ease of implant and the
        proprietary Linx(TM) anti-calcification technology for
        enhanced durability of the valve.

        In July 2005, the Journal of Heart Valve Disease published a
        peer-reviewed article titled "Seventeen-Year Experience with
        the St. Jude Medical Biocor(R) Porcine Bioprosthesis," by Dr.
        Pia Myken of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg,
        Sweden, which highlighted the Biocor valve's excellent
        durability in both the aortic and more challenging mitral
        positions, as well as its ease of implantation. The Epic and
        Epic Supra are the next generation of valves based on the
        Biocor stented valve system.

    --  The Regent(R) mechanical heart valve, the Company's most
        advanced mechanical valve, has set a standard in hemodynamic
        performance never before seen in the mechanical heart valve
        market. This valve offers the traditional quality and
        durability that have characterized St. Jude Medical's
        mechanical valve franchise for almost 30 years.

"St. Jude Medical will showcase new additions to its heart valve portfolio, along with a surgical cardiac ablation system featuring a unique HIFU energy source, which is now available to our European customers," said Denis M. Gestin, President of St. Jude Medical Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Canada. "These innovative products put important, life-saving technology in the hands of surgeons around the world, bringing significant benefits to the many patients struggling with cardiovascular disease."

In addition to profiling new and innovative products for the cardiac surgeon, St. Jude Medical will sponsor a lunch symposium on Monday, September 26, entitled Anticoagulation with Biological and Mechanical Heart Valves: Do We Know the Answer? Featuring internationally recognized experts in the field, the session will provide attendees with the latest scientific data in the critical area of anticoagulation therapy for heart valve replacement patients.

On Tuesday, September 27, St. Jude Medical will sponsor a second symposium on recent advances in cardiac ablation entitled The Power of Focused Energy: High Intensity Focused Ultrasound and Emerging Approaches to Surgical Cardiac Ablation. This educational event will deliver a detailed look at current and future techniques and technologies for cardiac ablation and will feature surgeons who are leaders in this rapidly evolving field.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (www.sjm.com) is dedicated to the design, manufacture and distribution of innovative medical devices of the highest quality, offering physicians, patients and payers outstanding clinical performance and demonstrated economic value.

Any statements made regarding the Company's anticipated future product launches, regulatory approvals, revenues, earnings, market shares, and potential clinical success are forward-looking statements which are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as those described in the Financial Section of the Company's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 (see page 16). Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

(a) These devices are not commercially available in the United States.